


Spark A Wildfire

by DarkKnightDan



Category: Pokemon, Pokemon GO
Genre: Blanche is a mom, Candela and Blanche are cute, F/F, Fluff, Gay Sex, I promise, Like lots of it, M/M, Maybe - Freeform, Mention of Past Mental Issues, Rating bumped up for next chapter, Slow Burn, Smut, Spark is gay, Spark-centric though, There will be fluff, Total gayness, because why not, but it'll be a lot of fluff to make up for it, cute moments, i just love gayness, i love shipping Blanche and Candela, maybe smut, real life AU, some sad moments, tattooed character, what am I even doing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-30
Updated: 2017-01-07
Packaged: 2018-08-11 22:33:51
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 34,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7910164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DarkKnightDan/pseuds/DarkKnightDan
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Alex is just your average, run of the mill Pokemon trainer. He got his first Pokemon when he was ten, and, ever since then, he's been living just like all the other trainers, traveling and battling at gyms. He always thought his life was interesting, but he never would have believed that he would run into a certain famous trainer at a bus stop. What he thought was just a chance meet up soon becomes something different than he could have ever imagined.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Spark

I sat in the bus stop, my bag resting on the bench next to me as I peered out at the street, observing as rain pounded the asphalt, slowly forming puddles in the holes that dotted the pavement. 

The air smelled of rain, but that wasn't something I could complain about. What I could complain about, however, was how muggy the day remained despite the amount of water that was currently being exiled from the atmosphere. The black v-neck that I had been wearing for the majority now stuck to my body like a second skin from the amount of sweat that had covered me during the day. That, and the rain that had ambushed me on the way to the bus stop. 

Another thing I could complain about was the lack of conversation that I was able to have while waiting for the bus. While my bulbasaur, Zahra, was out of her pokeball and sitting in the rain, she wasn't much for conversation. I could talk to her of course, the issue was getting her to talk back.

"Zahra." I called anyway, just wanting her to be close to me in case the bus came and some other trainers piled off. I didn't want her to get lost, again. Hearing my call, Zahra turned her ruby eyes my way before trotting over and hopping up onto the bench, sitting down next to me once she had gotten a good foothold. 

We sat like this for awhile, until Zahra started nudging the pokeball on my waist insistently. 

"Alo can't come out." I responded with an understanding smile. "You know that he scares people." Zahra gave me a look that seemed to say 'Who cares?' In response, but I kept Alo secure in his pokeball nonetheless. 

Zahra seemed frustrated by this fact, as I heard her muttering the only word she could say as she faced away from me, the various syllables of her species being elicited in manners that I could only think would be equivalent to cursing in English.

"Hey there." A sudden voice said, causing me to jump so badly that I almost flew off of the bench entirely. Instead, I simply pushed Zahra further down as I moved away from the voice, eliciting a sound of irritation from my companion. 

Sitting on the bench, in a spot that had been unoccupied literally moments ago, was a guy around my age. His blonde hair was dripping wet, presumably from the rain, and the same could be said about his clothes. Currently, his electric blue eyes were wide with surprise, but they returned to what I would think of as normal size as a smile split his features.

"Oh, my bad, I didn't mean to scare you." He insisted, though I could hear a hint of a giggle in his voice as he spoke. 

"Well, I'd hate to see what happens when you do." I quipped "you almost gave me a heart attack."

The guy laughed at that, his touch higher than baritone voice only being accentuated by his quiet laughter. He managed to stop within a minute, though his smile lingered on his face.

"I'm Spark." He announced, extending his hand to me like he wanted me to shake it. Not wanting to be rude, I shook his hand with a touch of a smile on my usually-grim features.

"Alex." I introduced myself, without a single hint of enthusiasm, highly in contrast with Spark's.

"Nice name, what's it stand for, Alexander?" He guessed.

"It's just Alex." I assured in response, which caused Spark to seemingly deflate, as though he had never been wrong before. I had to emit a chuckle at the look on his face, it looked like someone had just told him the most mind-blowing thing he'd ever heard.

"Are you alright?" I questioned, still laughing as I did so. In my peripheral vision, I saw Zahra give me a look of confusion at my ongoing laughter. Guess it's easy to tell how often I do this.

"My instincts weren't right." Spark explained, and I cocked a brow, just giving him a look as I continued to giggle. After a few moments he turned his head, his electric blue eyes meeting my own emerald ones in the process.

"Huh." He grunted and looked at the ground, now looking somewhat like a pouting child.

"Hey, I'm sorry if I offended you by laughing, or something." I offered and, just as suddenly as it had disappeared, Spark's smile returned to his face.

"Oh, it's not your fault." He informed me "I'm just not used to that is all. So, you're a trainer?" He asked his question as he leant forward in order to peek around me and get a view of Zahra, who gazed back at him without moving.

"Yeah, yeah I've been with Pokemon ever since I was a kid." I affirmed as I pulled Zahra onto my lap, smiling at the slight noise of protest she made.

"This is Zahra, she was my first Pokemon." I explained to Spark, who reached into his pocket and drew out a pokeball once I had introduced Zahra. From the pokeball came a jolteon, who instantly filled the bus stop with a sort of static that I could feel radiating through me.

"This is Pulse." Spark introduced his Jolteon, who meowed at the mention of his name. "I've had him since I was a kid, though he was just an Eevee back then."  
"Well, it's nice to meet you both." I said as I went to move a strand of my jet-black hair off of where it was sticking to my forehead.

"It's nice to meet you, too." Spark agreed with a goofy grin. "Do you mind if we exchange trainer info? I think it'd be cool to hang out sometime, or maybe we could battle!" That thought seemed to excite him more than hanging out.   
"Yeah, sure." I said, and told Spark my Trainer ID. Number. He typed it in and, moments later, I heard a notification pop up on my pokedex. With perfect timing, my bus rolled up to the station. So, I stood up, setting Zahra on the ground as I did so.  
"You on this bus?" I questioned, and Spark shook his head in disagreement.

"Nah, mine's the next one, but I'll see you around, right?"

"Yeah, sure." I said with a hint of a genuine smile "see you around." I said before stepping onto the bus. Zahra followed right behind me, waiting at my feet while I paid, and then we took our seat. Once the bus was in movement, I took my pokedex out of my pocket to check the notification, and confirmed that it was a contact request from Spark.

The thing was, he had a badge next to his name. It wasn't a normal one, like some trainers had. Instead, emblazoned next to his name was a symbol of Zapdos. That's when it hit me, I knew I had heard that name before.

I had just met the leader of Team Instinct.


	2. I Have Made a Mistake

When I got home, I threw my bag onto the floor next to the door without missing a step, also turning on a light as I walked by the switch. When my apartment was illuminated, I wished I had left the light off.

When you lived alone, sometimes it was really hard to notice when things were getting cluttered. Currently, there were at least three pizza boxes stacked on my table, the remains of one of the delicious meals still resting in its box, which was currently half open.

Empty cans also littered the floor, coming mainly from energy drinks and different varieties of soda, but there were also a few water bottles scattered about. Had to keep a semblance of a healthy lifestyle, right?

Anyway, I flopped down onto the couch, and Zahra hopped up onto the ratty piece of furniture with me. I debated on turning on my TV, but decided that I didn't want to deal with the staticky picture and distorted sound at the moment.

Instead, I opened up my Pokedex, whose screen was currently filled with a variety of greetings. The weirdest part about that? They were all from the same person. I couldn't help but smile a bit at Spark's persistence, even if it did violate multiple social rules about texting.

By the time I typed out my reply, Spark had actually sent two more messages, for a grand total of fifteen to my one. When my returned greeting went through, Spark instantly texted back.

"HEYYY!!!" His message read. It was similar to his other messages, just a bit more enthusiastic, if you could believe that.

We messaged for awhile, not about anything particularly interesting. Spark asked me how many badges I had, if I had any other Pokemon besides Zahra, what I had sort of expected from someone who has devoted so much of his life to Pokemon. 

Then, Spark asked me if I was a member of a team. I told him that I wasn't, but I was actually able to, since I'd gotten my fifth gym badge about a week ago. There was a break in the messages that I imagined in dialogue as somewhat of an awkward silence, before Spark sent his message.

"Would you like to join my team?" For some reason, I imagined this as less a team leader asking a trainer to join, more of a little kid asking a friend to play with him. But, I accepted the offer.

"Sweet!" Was Spark's text response. I imagined that he had exclaimed something similar out loud whenever I had sent that message. "That's awesome!" He continued "now you can be part of the coolest team!"

With this enthusiasm, and this personality, it didn't surprise me one bit that most of Team Instinct was younger than the members of other teams. I mean, everyone on Valor was fairly young from what I knew, but there were like, kids on Team Instinct. I guess that made sense, with how childlike Spark acted.

Not that I disliked Spark's personality, it was just kind of funny to me how he acted so different from the other team leaders. As much as Blanche and Candela's interests contrasted, their personalities seemed very similar. They both acted somewhat professional, even if Candela sometimes broke that facade, more so than Blanche. 

So, I spent the rest of the night messaging Spark. I would have thought that he would either get tired of talking to me, or find something better to do than talk to me, but he stuck around up until long after the sun had gone down. 

It was probably around ten at night when Spark said he had to go, since his sisters were wanting to talk about something. I didn't ask about what it was, since it wasn't really my business. Instead, I just wished him a good night. I thought that was the end of the conversation, but then Spark asked if I wanted to hang out tomorrow.

Now, I'm not really one for "hanging out" when it came to social situations, I was generally one of the biggest avoiders. People made me uncomfortable a lot of the time, but for some reason I agreed to Spark's request before the logical side of my brain had a chance to stop me. 

It didn't hit me until I stepped out of the shower, that I had made a mistake. I sighed, slowly dropping the towel away from my face, still holding it in between my hands. Zahra sat at my feet, casting me a curious look at the disgruntled expression on my face.

"I decided to hang out with someone." I informed my companion, who, if it was possible, gave me a look that I interpreted as disbelief.

"Yeah, I wouldn't believe it either, if I hadn't done it." I said as I pulled on the boxers and shorts that I had brought into the bathroom with me. The music that I had turned on for my shower was still blasting, which managed to keep the thoughts of impending doom from a social situation at bay. 

Part of me rationalized that I was overthinking things, I was acting like Spark was going to take me into downtown or something. As far as I knew, he just wanted to hang around, maybe even in one of the more quiet parts of town. That's what I would have wanted my brain to say, anyway. Instead, I imagined that the little people that worked my brain were slamming their hands collectively on their desks, screaming "death" all in sync with each other, over and over. 

Once I had brushed my teeth and dried my hair off completely, I walked somewhat blindly into the bedroom, the room blurry from where I had removed my contacts moments ago. In the darkness, I saw a pair of large, red eyes hovering next to my bed, seemingly floating above a comically wide grin.

"Did Zahra let you out?" I asked as I sat next to Alo, who was sitting up like he was trying to mimic a human. 

"Gen.....gar." He confirmed and I sighed, putting my head in my hands.

"I swear to God, if you give me a nightmare then I am going to put you back in your pokeball so fast that your head....body....you. You will spin." Alo seemed somewhat offended at my implication. He made a noise that I was sure was supposed to be an assurance of his angel-like behavior through the night. Usually, I wouldn't have believed him, but I was too tired at the moment to do anything about him. 

So, when I laid down, I turned so that I was facing away from Alo. If I faced him then I risked waking up and probably jumping out of my bed due to fright. I felt the bed shift as Zahra jumped up onto it, and then I felt her form against my back, the blanket I had pulled over myself serving as a barrier between us.

"Goodnight." I muttered to my Pokemon as I started to drift off to sleep. "Sweet dreams."


	3. Lack of Sleep

"Goddamnit!" I exclaimed as I opened my eyes, meeting Alo's bright red ones when I did. I jumped backward, onto Zahra, who skittered out from under me with a noise of annoyance while I managed to hit my head on the shelf behind my bed. I groaned in both frustration and pain, holding my head as I leant it off of the edge of the bed. I cursed, loudly, and then slowly opened my eyes. The first rays of the sun were just beginning to peek through the blinds, it couldn't have been more than six in the morning.

"Can I ever get a full night of sleep?" I groaned, but I already knew the answer, not while I had a Gengar out of its pokeball in my apartment.

"Alo." I commanded "Pokeball." I heard the slight movements as Alo ruffled the sheets, and then the ringing of his pokeball opening and closing.

"Bulbasaur." Zahra commented and I rolled my eyes.

"Not helping." I murmured as I slowly sat up, still holding my head in one hand as I did so. I really, really needed to start keeping Alo in his pokeball at night. That wasn't fair to him though, maybe I just needed to leave him in the other room.

It occurred to me after mulling that over for a moment that Alo didn't give two shits about doors or walls, he was, after all, a ghost. I sighed, deflating as my plan suddenly became entirely debunked. 

"Guess I'll just deal with it." I said to myself as I swung my legs over the edge of the bed and stood up, my eyes shooting to where Zahra still lounged on part of the bed, her gaze still filled with irritation.

"Yeah, I don't like it any more than you do." I informed my friend, who shot back her name in response, of course. Not wanting to get into a shouting match with a Pokemon, as I had done before, I just walked out of the room, running my fingers through my hair as I moved through the doorway, managing to bang my shoulder on it as I went through. Another muttered curse escaped me, but I just kept walking into the kitchen area of my apartment. My eyes momentarily darted toward the stack of dirty dishes that sat in the sink. I should do them, but it was almost always my habit to never do them until I had no other dishes left to use. 

When I opened the door of the fridge, I saw that I had just enough milk for a bowl of cereal, hallelujah. I grabbed the jug, setting it on the counter while I opened the cabinet, grabbing the singular box of cereal that occupied the entirety of the space.

After pouring myself a nice-and-sugary bowl of Captain Crunch, I filled Zahra's bowl with poke food and then returned to my bedroom to let Alo out of his pokeball. I told him that he could go eat and do whatever he wanted until I went to meet Spark. Delighted with this proposition, Alo trotted off into the living room while I followed close behind. Alo, probably starved from the lack of dream-eating after my last-and-first boyfriend moved out, almost tackled the bowl of food that I had set out for him. 

I returned to my cereal, and was dismayed to find that it had gotten extremely soggy during the course of my getting Alo out of his pokeball. 

"Stupid." I muttered to myself as I rummaged for a spoon in my extremely sparse drawer of silverware. Fortunately, I managed to find one, saving me from having to do any dishes. For now, at least.

With my breakfast in hand and my Pokemon fed, I walked over to the couch and flipped open my Pokedex, deciding to browse videos on there instead of taking my chances with the busted TV. I saw that there was a good morning message from Spark, surprisingly sent just a few minutes ago. 

While I ate, I replied to Spark's message. It felt weird talking to someone this early in the morning. Even when Sean was here we were usually still asleep at this point, when Alo or Zahra didn't wake me up, anyway. That, or when his Growlithe didn't urgently need to go out. It felt weirder messaging Spark while knowing that we were supposed to meet up in just a few hours, it seemed like we were going to run out of stuff to talk about.

Surprisingly, Spark didn't reply to my good morning text. I thought that was a bit uncharacteristic of him, but I reasoned that maybe he was thinking the same thing as I was, we should save the conversation for when we met up. 

After I munched down the last non-crunchy bite of my once delicious cereal, I pushed the bowl onto the table and stood up, walking to my closet with Alo and Zahra in tow. Both of them climbed up onto the bed as I pulled the doors open, looking at the various clothes that were either on hangers, or on the floor. 

"What should I wear?" I asked out loud before checking the clock next to my bed for the current weather. It was like sixty degrees, and it was supposed to rain again today, according to the clock. 

So, with comfort in mind, I grabbed a very thin black jacket and pulled it on over a grey t-shirt that I hadn't worn yet this week. Not wanting to overheat, I pulled on a pair of black shorts, reasoning that I was fine with my legs getting a bit wet.

Then came the morning routine, brushing my teeth, gelling my hair back, the usual. Nothing special. By the time I had finished the mundane tasks I performed everyday, I saw that I was going to have to leave pretty soon if I wanted to meet Spark on time. 

"Alo, pokeball." I said as I pulled a pair of black tennis shoes on. Once he was in the ball, Zahra brought it over in her mouth, depositing it in the hand that I stretched out to her.

"Ready to go?" I asked as I pulled my hood up over my hair, grabbing my bag from where I had deposited it last night.

"Bulba." Zahra confirmed, and so I opened the door. She scuttled out between my legs as I turned, shutting the door and locking it behind me. With my house secure, I turned and walked down the hall that led to the entrance of the apartment building. An advantage of living on the first floor is that I didn't have to deal with any stairs, hooray. 

When I exited the building I instantly knew that it was going to rain. The humidity in the air almost felt like it was weighing down on me, and the clouds that swirled off in the distance spoke of a possible storm coming. Awesome, good thing I wore a jacket.

Not wanting to get caught in the rain, I quickly made my way to the bus stop, arriving conveniently as my bus pulled up. I hopped on, took my seat, and messaged Spark that I was on my way. We were supposed to meet at the bus stop from yesterday.

The closer I got to the stop, the more nervous I felt. I didn't understand why, but it was most likely because I really didn't do well with people I barely knew. I mean, yeah I had messaged Spark all night, but I probably wasn't going to be comfortable around him for awhile. 

When I came close to my stop, I could see that Spark was standing inside of the glass cubicle with an umbrella leaning up against the bench. His jolteon lounged on the bench, on its back with its paws up in the air. Cute, I thought to myself. 

Spark was wearing almost the same attire as he had been yesterday, black sweat pants, black hoodie, but his orange undershirt was now replaced by one that was almost golden in color. His hair looked slightly ruffled, like he'd woken up recently. Had he not messaged me earlier, I would've though that he had just woken up. 

"Hey." I greeted as I stepped off of the bus, only to be nearly tackled in a hug by Spark, who I realized was actually slightly taller than me from the way my nose collided with his clavicle. I went rigid at the embrace, surprised by the sudden embrace. Spark seemed to take notice of this, as he stepped back with a meek smile on his face. 

"Sorry about that....I kind of get excited sometimes." He apologized, and I couldn't help but let a smile break my features

"Yeah? You don't say." I said as my uncharacteristic smile lingered, my eyes locked onto Spark's. 

"Are you ready to go?"

"Woah there, you haven't even told me where we're going." I said as the bus rumbled off behind me. It looked like I was now stuck spending the day with Spark, whether I liked it or not. Not that I didn't, I figured that I was going to enjoy this extremely well. 

"Well, I thought we could play some video games at my house." Spark explained and I smirked.

"Do you take everyone home on the first date?" I teased and a rosy tint suddenly rushed to Spark's face.

"Oh....well....I didn't think this was a date." The shocked look that stuck to his face was cute, and was only made more so by the blush that had risen in almost the entirety of his face. Even his ears were turning somewhat red.

"I'm messing with you." I responded, and suddenly Spark sighed in relief. I didn't know if I should have been offended by that or not, I decided to take it as him being nervous.

"Okay, good. It'd be hard to explain to my sisters that I brought a date home....they'd probably kick you out....and me." I couldn't help but chuckle at that. 

"Well, why don't you lead the way home? We can explain to your sisters how I'm definitely not your date when we get there."

"Awesome." Spark replied, his trademark smile returning to his face after he said this. 

With nothing else said, I followed Spark back to his house. We went through empty streets and back alleys, places I had definitely not expected Spark to go through on the way home. Some kids came up as we walked, greeting Spark like he was their hero, and I guess he was. He introduced me to the kids as his friend, and they all asked for my trainer ID. Not wanting to be rude, I gave them the number before Spark and I continued on our way.

This happened more than once as we walked. Each time I'd hear kids yelling Spark's name as they ran down the street, then they'd be on him, trying to show him all the Pokemon that they have at the same time. Spark couldn't have seemed happier about this though, he treated all of these kids like they were Pokemon masters. I liked that. 

Finally, it seemed as though we'd gotten out of the thick of Spark's admirers, and we started down a long driveway that cut a swathe through a forest, trees flanking the road on either side.

"My sisters usually drive, but I prefer to walk." Spark explained. I nodded in response, not about to question that reasoning. The house was, or seemed to be, pretty far from the town, after all. 

Out of all the things I expected at the end of the road, a mansion, a castle, a freaking villa, I did not expect a ski lift.

"It's the only way up to the house." Spark explained, pointing to a white structure that I could see nestled up in the mountain that the lift connected to. Man, I knew Spark must've been loaded, but what did his sisters do to pay for this place. 

Spark opened the door to one of the lifts and gestured me in. Once I had taken my seat with Zahra secured in my lap, Spark closed the door and pressed a button next to the panel of the door, taking his seat as the lift started its ascent toward the mountain. It was a slow journey, but Spark made it interesting by pointing out different landforms around the area from where we sat. I actually spotted Team Instinct's headquarters, with its statue of Zapdos, from where it was clustered with the towers of teams Mystic and Valor.

"So, are you sisters trainers too, or..." Spark gave me a befuddled look at my question.

"Of course, Blanche and Candela are two of the best trainers I know." Well, shit, I hadn't expected that one. 

"You guys are siblings?" I questioned dubiously, images sliding through my head of how diverse they all looked. 

"Well, not by blood, no, but we've all grown up together." Spark explained and I nodded, that made sense.

Wait, that meant that Spark was taking me home not to meet a couple of average nobodies, but to meet his sisters who were heads of the other two major Pokemon teams. At the thought of that, my pulse kicked into overdrive and I instantly started searching for a way to leap from this ski lift without killing myself. When that option was obviously ruled out, I started thinking about my last words. 

Before I could enact my plan, though, the lift pulled into the station, and Spark opened the door. He gestured for me to follow with a grin on his face, and then strode out of the car. 

My eyes darted to the door, then to Zahra, who was already walking out onto the platform.

"Oh, please someone save me."  
I whispered as I stood up and followed Spark.


	4. The Family

Spark led me up a path that was hewn into the side of the mountain, the only part about it that wasn't natural seemed to be the light that led up either side of the walkway. They were colored with the repeating pattern of Red, Yellow, Blue. Of course, this was due to the three people that lived in the house that this path led up to. 

"So, have you lived here your whole life?" I asked as I looked up one of the trees that rose next to the trail, appearing as though it would nearly reach into the sky from how tall it was. 

"Nah, Candi and Blanche bought the house a few years ago. I moved in with them."

"You didn't help buy the house?"

"Nah, I don't have much money, anyway." Spark said in a matter of fact tone, which confused me greatly. The leaders of the other two teams had enough money to buy what looked like a castle on a mountain, and Spark didn't have any money? I smelled something out of place here, but I didn't want to call Spark out on it. 

"So, what do you think?" Spark asked, gesturing to the forest that we currently walked through. 

"It's....nice." I said hesitantly, wondering if there was something else that Spark was wanting me to see. If there was, I definitely wasn't seeing it. 

"I'm glad you like it, Candi and Blanche wanted to expand the house, but I told them that it would kind of mess with the whole natural beauty of this place." That was definitely not something I had expected Spark to say. In fact, that line sounded like something straight from the mouth of the proclaimed conservationist Blanche.

"Blanche and Candela wanted to tear the forest down?" I repeated, seeking clarity as I continued to follow Spark, up and up the mountain.

"Well, it's more that they wanted a place for me to live by myself, which would've meant tearing down some of the forest." 

"Why did they want you to live alone?" A shrug was the only response that Spark offered to my question, and so I left it at that, we were coming up on the house anyway.

The place was even more impressive than I had thought from the other side of the ravine. It wasn't grand in its height, but it looked like the house could've easily fit a Pokemon stadium inside of it. 

The walls were, as I had observed from the ski lift, pure white. The whole house looked very modern, with windows covering a good amount of its area. From where Spark and I were coming off of the trail, I could see a swimming pool toward the back that seemed to go through a wall, extending into the house itself.

Through another window, I caught a glimpse of what I assumed to be the living room, but not much of it. I just managed to catch a glimpse of a huge television and a couch with its back to the window.

"Candi and Blanche were up when I left, so unless they went somewhere they're still here." Spark informed me as he walked up to the front door, stepping up to and opening the heavy looking red door.

Spark pushed the door inward, following it with an announcement that he was home as I quickly fell in behind him, keeping almost as close as Pulse while Zahra stayed on my own heels.

About three steps into the house was how far I got before I heard an angry female voice break through the silence that had dominated the manor.

"Goddamnit Blanche!" I recognized the voice of Candela almost instantly from the interviews that I had seen on TV. This was followed by what sounded like plastic colliding with a stone floor. After this, a woman wearing a red tank top and black short shorts stormed out of a room on the other end of the hall, a murderous look in her eyes, fury written plainly on her face. However, when she saw Spark and, by connection, me, standing at the end of the hall she just sighed in frustration before turning back down the hall.

"Babe!" She called "Spark and his friend are back." Candela informed the other team leader, though the use of babe had caught me off guard.

"Are they....." Spark turned his attention to me at my question, but instead of answering me, his brows just furrowed together in confusion.

"Are they what?" He asked.

".....y'know." 

"No?" At that point, I decided to drop the subject, as Candela had made her way over with Blanche walking right behind her. Candela's attire, I had expected. The very formal Blanche, however, was someone I never thought I would see wearing an oversized t-shirt and what looked like a pair of shorts that matched Candela's. 

The shirt Blanche wore was, surprisingly, not the royal blue of Team Mystic. It was instead the near-Crimson of Team Valor. Well, that pretty much answered my question for me.

"Spark, aren't you going to introduce us to your friend?" Candela asked, sounding more like a mother than a rival team leader. 

"Oh, uh, yeah. Blanche, Candi, this is Alex." I smiled meekly and waved, feeling very, very insignificant in a room filled with trainers who were more or less considered the best.

"Nice to meet you." I greeted, and Candela offered me a warm smile in return.

"It's nice to meet you, too." She said with a friendliness that almost matched Spark's. Blanche, on the other hand, seemed very hesitant to greet me, instead lingering behind Candela, her icy eyes scanning me with their cold gaze.

"It's nice to meet you." She finally offered, very formally might I add. That's more what I had expected from the well-respected leader of Team Mystic.

With that, Candela just smiled and informed Spark and I that she and Blanche were going to return to their paused game of Mario Kart. She offered us a spot once they finished their game, if we would like to join. Before I could say anything, Spark agreed to the idea for me. When Candela instead asked me directly if I wanted to play, I offered up a quiet agreement. 

So, I followed Spark as he walked behind Candela and Blanche, looking around the house as I did so. A few of the rooms we past had their doors closed so I couldn't see what was in them, but one of the room we did pass opened up into a courtyard area with some chairs dotted around a flourishing garden, on the other side of the courtyard I saw that the house continued still. It may have actually been larger than I initially thought, as I had only seen the side, apparently. 

Blanche and Candela led us into what looked like a home theater, where a game of Mario Kart was being projected onto the big screen. I took note of a Wii remote that looked like it had been thrown against the wall, figuring that it must have been the source of the noise that I'd heard upon entering.

"Sorry if my yelling scared you." Candela muttered meekly as she walked over to the remote and picked it up. "Blanche was cheating, and I got annoyed." She explained and Blanche rolled her eyes as she took a seat in one of the cinema chairs, picking up a remote that had been left in the chair next to it.

"I was not cheating" the other trainer "you're just mad because I'm better than you."

"Oh, be quiet Blanky, you know that I could beat you any day of the week." With that, Candela pressed the resume button as Spark gestured for me to take a seat behind Candela and Blanche, as the rows only had three seats each. 

When I sat down, Spark slid into the chair to my right, smiling as he did. 

"They do this often?" I postulated as I noticed the intensity with which Candela played, leaning her body left and right as she turned as though it would affect the movement of her character in-game. 

"A couple of times a week." Spark confirmed. "Though Blanche is usually busy....so I play with Candi a lot."

"Spark, what have I told you about calling me Candi in front of people that aren't Blance or I?" Candela said without breaking her gaze on the screen for even a moment. 

"Well, you said not to do it." Spark replied, his tone like that of a child that had been told to recite a lesson he had been lectured about many times over. 

Candela seemed to not think a reply to Spark's statement was necessary, as she directed her focus back toward the game that she had been playing before we had arrived.

Even watching Candela and Blanche do something as mundane as play a video game showed me how they worked as trainers. Blanche sat in a very relaxed position, her eyes moving freely over the screen, observing, analyzing while her hands moved to follow the plan that her brain put forth, while Candela had her whole body tensed up and was leant forward, her focus solely on the person in front of her, Blanche. I could see her formulating strategies on how to overcome her, but it seemed that she discarded her strategies as quickly as she thought them up. 

However, it was this focus that won Candela the match. Blanche looked away from a moment, presumably to say something to Candela about her impending victory, and failed to notice that Candela had launched a shell at her from behind. As Candela crossed the finish line in first place she jumped up with her fists in the air and cheered, grinning from ear to ear as she did. Blanche looked up at the screen, shrugged, and instructed Spark to grab the two extra controllers from the basket in the front of the room. 

Spark jumped up with an excited grin, and nearly ran to the front of the theater to retrieve the remotes before returning and handing one to me. I turned the remote on, and then looked up at the character select screen.

I had never played before, but I didn't feel that it would be a good idea to make a fool out of myself, so I just watched Spark's hands the whole time that I played, following him just like I had been doing in the real world for the past couple  
of hours, as well as I could anyway. Spark was unlike Candela and Blanche in that he didn't seem to have any strategy at all in the game, he just gunned the engine and went as fast as he could, seemingly going on impulse when it came to when to boost or use a power up. I hadn't expected anything else from him, if I was to be honest. 

So, for awhile I took fourth place in the game repeatedly but, soon, I started adopting some of Spark's way of thinking. I would zoom past Candela on parts where she was being cautious, and take different routes that Blanche avoided like the plague, mainly because of the dangers associated with them. 

Following Spark, we both soon found ourselves taking first and second place, Spark being in first, of course.

"Go Instinct!" He yelled when he and I ended up winning a tournament after what seemed like an ungodly amount of time, a huge grin on his face as he stood up and started dancing like a complete goof. I couldn't help but grin at this display. After a moment, Spark realized that I wasn't dancing and pulled me to my feet.

"Like this." He insisted, beginning to go through the set of moves he had been performing for the past minute. With some hesitation, and less enthusiasm, I started to copy him. When we finished, Spark just grinned at me.

"You did awesome!" He commented, holding his hand up for a high five, which I reciprocated. 

"Thanks, Spark." I said, looking over at Zahra to discover that my bulbasaur was curled up in the theater seat, fast asleep. 

"Huh, she usually doesn't fall asleep this early." I mused and Spark cocked a brow.

"Early, it's two in the morning." He reminded me and I turned on him with my own brow cocked, until I remembered how the sun had been going down earlier when Spark had led me to the kitchen to grab some food and drinks for the group.

"Crap, it's going to take me at least three hours to walk home....I don't think the buses run this late." I muttered, frustrated with myself for losing track of time.

"That's fine, you can stay in my room." Spark offered, which caused Candela to stand from her seat.

"Woah buddy, your boyfriend isn't staying in your room, now while Blanky and I are here." Candela said, again sounding like a mom.

"I'm not his boyfriend." I objected and Candela rolled her eyes.

"Fine, your 'friend' isn't sleeping with your room, it's way too filthy to let someone else in there. He can sleep in the living room if he'd like, it's much more clean."

"Oh, alright." Spark turned back to me after that slight rant from Candela and asked if I would like to sleep in the living room, explaining that it was much cleaner than his room like I hadn't heard the entirety of their conversation.

"I mean, if it wouldn't be too much trouble.... I'll head out early in the morning, you guys won't even notice I was here." I assured and Candela gave me a hint of a smile.

"I wasn't trying to sound inhospitable, I'm just seriously warning you about going near Spark's room, I thought I was going to have to revive Ember when she went in there to wake him up one morning." I didn't know who Ember was, but if I was going by the name scheme, I figured that it was probably the flareon I'd seen Candela with on TV. 

"Oh, thanks." I replied and Candela nodded, getting up out of her chairs and turning to help Blanche out of hers, as it seemed the white-haired trainer's legs had fallen asleep through the course of our gaming. 

"I'm going to take Blanky upstairs." Candela informed Spark "why don't you get your friend set up on the couch while I'm doing that, then you should head to bed, too."

"Got it." Spark acknowledged as we walked behind Candela, who was more or less carrying Blanche at this point. 

Spark led me into the living room, which was more or less across the hall from the theater. It wasn't as large as the other room, but it was still pretty big. The window offered a view of the tree line outside, which was illuminated by tiny lights that were just like the ones by the path that we'd come up on this morning.

Spark walked over to a door on the far wall and opened it, removing a blanket and pillow from one of the shelves, explaining that this is where Blanche and Candela slept whenever they fell asleep watching a movie. Damn, relationship goals. 

Spark set the blanket out and messed with the pillow in an attempt to soften it up before setting it on the couch for me.

"Well, I hope you sleep well." He said with a smile. 

"Thanks Spark, you too." I replied with a matching smile before walking over to the couch and sitting down. Spark started toward the door, then stopped and turned to look back at me.

"Hey Alex?" 

"Yeah?" I asked, looking up as I pulled my shoes off, leaning back when I did so that Spark knew I had his whole attention. Spark just looked at me for a moment, then his smile disappeared as he bit his lip. 

"You alright?" I asked and Spark nodded. 

"Just....thinking how to say this." Oh Christ, please tell me he wasn't about to ask me out or something, I don't know how I would handle that.

Fortunately, he didn't ask that, he asked me something much worse.

"There's a big gym leader Gala going on soon, and we're supposed to bring dates. I was wondering if you'd like to come?"

"As in, like a date?"

"Well, yeah."

"Like, a date-date."

"Yeah." Spark seemed slightly dejected at my lack of enthusiasm. "I mean, if you don't want to go that's fine, I just-"

"No, Spark." I cut him off "I mean, I want to go with you I just....I don't do well with people. I'm kinda an introvert, y'know?" Spark just looked at me then, his face looking like he was just begging me ever so slightly. With that, I caved.

"Alright, I'll go with you." Before I could say anything else, I found myself in a bone crushing hug like the one Spark had given me when he had seen me yesterday.

After that, he trotted out of the room, calling a swift goodnight over his shoulder as he did. I returned the farewell, and then removed my hoodie before lying down and pulling the covers over myself, my mind still attempting to process what had just happened.

I was going on a date, and a very real one, with Spark.


	5. Join the Party

So, the party that Spark had invited me definitely wasn't conventional by any means. For one, his invitation arrived by the means of Pulse, who started scratching at my door around three in the morning. When I opened it, I discovered that Spark's Jolteon had a letter in his mouth, and a bow tie around his neck. It took my tired brain a minute to realize what was happening, but then I leant down and slowly took the letter from his mouth. Once I had retrieved the letter, Pulse gave me something that resembled a bow before trotting off down the hall. 

I opened the letter, holding it close so that my blurry vision could possibly begin to make sense of the nonsensical scribblings that were supposed to be words.

"Fuck it." I muttered after staring at the paper for perhaps a minute, my tired brain demanding that its need for more sleep be satiated. I wasn't about to refuse that demand to try and read a letter delivered by a Jolteon at three in the morning.

So, in the morning I actually managed to make sense of the letter. The Gala that Spark had invited me to was a masquerade party, and one that called for a specific dress code. All men had to wear a black suit, the color of their shirt was at their discretion to choose, in addition, everyone had to wear some kind of mask in an attempt to disguise their identity from their date. We were supposed to arrive separately, it seemed.

I texted messaged Spark about this after I got a shower and got dressed, telling him that 1. I didn't have a suit and 2. I had no clue how to get to the place that this ball was supposed to be at. 

His response was as follows "Candela and Blanche have the suit taken care of, and Candela is going to meet you tomorrow. She'll bring you to the ball, Blanche and I are going to go there together." It was accompanied by a smiling emoji, and I didn't know how to put that in writing besides by just saying it. 

So, that left me with a whole day where I didn't want to message Spark in fear of saying something that would mess up the date, and not having anything else to do. In the end, I just ended up taking a walk for most of the day, doing my best to pass the hours while talking to some of the kids around who were on Team Instinct. With my high level Pokemon, they treated me almost like the my treated Spark. I wasn't as good with them, but I still enjoyed talking to them nonetheless. 

Now, on the day that the ball was supposed to happen, I had expected Candela to show up at my apartment maybe a couple hours before we were supposed to be there, but she showed up a full eight hours before we were supposed to arrive, carrying a garment bag and a small case.

"What's with all the stuff?" I asked as she walked by, a chuckle emanating feel her when she saw the state of my apartment.

"Ah, I can see why Spark likes you now, you both live in almost the exact same squalor."

"Gee, thanks."

"Just saying, now sit down big guy, and take your shirt off so I can get the measurements for your dress shirt, I'm going to run and get it."

"How'd you get me a suit and pants if you didn't know my sizes then?"

"I guessed. What's your pant size?"

"Thirty, thirty three." I said as I took my shirt off. Candela took a glance to me and cocked a brow.

"What? I know I'm skinny."

"No, no, it's your tattoos." Candela replied to my self-insulting comment. Oh, I reached up and rubbed at the ink in question like it would come off if I did so. 

"Is that a Gengar on your right?" She asked as she gently moved my hand to observe my tattoo. The figure was a pinpoint accurate scale tattoo of Alo on the outside of my arm, while Zahra adorned my right shoulder blade. 

"Yeah, those are my Pokemon." I said with a hint of a smile.

"Well, what about these two?" Candela asked, tapping my left shoulder, and the Growlithe that rested there. She glanced around me to see the charmander that was inked into my skin directly opposite from Alo. 

"Those uh...belonged to someone else." I whispered. Those two were the ones I had debated getting removed, but I'd left them there to at least keep the happy memories there. 

"Who?" Candela pressed as I felt her put a tape measure around my neck, drawing it until she got an accurate measurement. Once she did that, she moved it around my chest, still anticipating my answer. 

"An old friend of mine, no one important now." I insisted and Candela smirked.

"Old boyfriend?" She guessed and I sighed. 

"Yeah, old boyfriend." I confirmed and she clicked her tongue.

"Don't you know one of the rules about getting tattoos is to never get something relating to your boyfriend or girlfriend, I would even be careful with a spouse."

"Would you get a tattoo for Blanche?"

"Blanche wouldn't want me to get a tattoo. In all honesty, she's probably try and talk me out of it." I sighed.

"Alright, but if you could, and if she would let you, would you do something like get her name inked on you."

"No."

"Why?" Candela sighed, taking my last measurement and putting the tape measure away after recording the numbers. 

"Look, Alex. I don't trust that any relationship isn't going to end. Blanche and I have been together for almost four years now, and there's not a day that goes by that I'm not afraid she's going to leave me. What you and Spark are moving toward, it's really cute, but I don't know if it's going to last. All I know is that Spark talks about you like you've got the stars in your hands or something. I just hope you treat him the same way." 

That had come straight out of left field. Did Spark really think I was worth talking highly about, I doubted so, I wasn't worth his time. Hell, I wasn't even good enough to go to this Gala with him tonight in my opinion.

"I like him." I confessed to Candela, who smirked. 

"Yeah? I could tell. Now, while you sit here and figure out the obvious, I'm going to go and get your dress shirt. It's going to be yellow, Spark won't expect you to be wearing yellow."

"Why not?"

"Because he'll be wearing yellow, dingbat. I already got you a mask by the way."

"Can I see it?"

"Hell no, not until we get to the party, I want it to be surprise." Before leaving, Candela instructed me to shower with the soaps that she left in the bag, and then shave with the stuff that she brought with her. She informed me that she was going to trim my hair up when she got back, and then I would take another shower before we headed to the ball.

In all honesty, this seemed a little bit crazy to me, but, hey, anything to impress Spark I guess.

While Candela was gone, I showered and shaved. By the time she got back, I was sitting in a pair of fresh underwear in the living room, with a towel wrapped around my waist to add a semblance of privacy. 

"Got your stuff adjusted." Candela announced before walking over and looking over my face, inspecting it for any stray hairs that my razor had missed.

"Good job." She congratulated me. "Now, I'm going to trim your hair up. It'll take me a few minutes, but then we should be about done."

By the time I managed to get my hair trimmed, get it all washed off and the get dressed, we still had about four hours until the Gala started. 

"So, now what?" I asked as I examined myself in the mirror. I had to admit, Candela had gotten a suit that looked pretty good on my slender frame, it actually made it look like I had a hint of meat on my bones. The yellow undershirt, however, I did not appreciate. I liked the color, but I just wasn't the type of guy that wore yellow very often.

"Now you need to pack some things."

"Hold up, pack?"

"Yeah, we're all staying overnight in our own little private houses on the property. You're going to need some clothes for tomorrow, preferably nice ones, and anything you'd need for the night. 

Before I could offer up the information about me having no "nice" clothes, Candela pulled a pair of half-decent cargo shorts out of her bag, throwing them to me along with a white designer t-shirt.

"Just pack that along with anything else that you'll need, then meet me out at the car." I nodded in response, rushing to my room to gather what I would need for the night.

I grabbed my usual shower stuff, a case for my contacts, and Alo's pokeball, where he was currently contained. I also recalled Zahrs to hers before slipping the diminished poke balls into my bag. I didn't want to worry about losing them during the ball, so I figured my luggage was the safest place for them.

Once I finished packing, I zipped up my bag and headed outside. Any worry I had about not spotting Candela's car was instantly dashed when my eyes fell on the cherry red Lamborghini idling out front. When I got outside I opened the back door, putting my bag In along with the three that I presumed belong to Candela, Blanche, and Spark.

"Got everything?" Candela asked as I slid into the passenger seat, buckling my seat belt as I did so.

"Yeah, I'm good." I assured and Candela nodded before revving the engine and taking off. I was glad I had buckled my seatbelt upon entering the car, as my face probably would've been pressed to the windshield at that point had I not been secured.

I grabbed firmly onto the edges of my seat as Candela weaved her way through the city's traffic like she didn't have to obey traffic laws. That, or she just knew how to drive well enough that she wasn't worried about hitting anyone else. At one point, I recall taking my eyes off of the road entirely out of fear that Candela was going to get us killed. I thought this might offend the other trainer, but she didn't notice. Just like when she had driven a virtual car, her focus was entirely on the road.

I didn't look up until I felt the car slow down dramatically, something we hadn't done the entire time we'd been driving. Somehow, either through taking alternate routes or just by pure coincidence, we had managed to avoid every single red light in the city. 

When I looked up, I saw the glimmer of the sea in front of me, and, on it, was a large ocean liner. I could see that people were beginning to board already, handing their things off to a steward as they did.

"So, the boat is takin us to a mansion?"

"An island, but yes, there is a mansion on the island."

"And I'm supposed to find Spark on this huge thing?" I murmured as I observed the boat, which dwarfed the siblings' house in pure size.

"Well, he can only be on two of the decks, so it's not as hard as you'd think. Last year, it took me about twenty minutes to find Blanche. Besides, you don't find Spark, Spark finds you."

"So what do I do until Spark finds me?"

"Well, the deal is to try and not be recognized. If you aren't recognized, then there's something special in it for you when we get to the island."

"What is that?" I questioned as Candela reached into a bag, pulling out my mask for me. It looked like it would cover my entire face, save for my mouth. It's color was a lighter variant of the gold of my undershirt, and it looked like it was made of stone by the way small cracks dotted its surface. On the top there stood what looked to be the front of a crown, flanked by a sigil of a rapidash on either side.

Candela tied the mask to my face with a black ribbon that blended in perfectly with my newly-trimmed hair, and then retrieved her own mask from the bag, a simple red mask that only covered half of her face.

"Is Blanche's mask more intricate?" I questioned and Candela shook her head with a smile.

"Nah, she's not much for games. We actually have Spark a simple mask, too, so I suggest that you keep an eye out, and avoid him at all costs. Blanche and I won the first year that we did this, and it was a great time."

"Still not going to tell me what that is exactly?" I asked as I adjusted my mask so I could see better.

"Nope, that's for you to find out if you win, now come on." With that, Candela pushed the door open, sliding out ahead of me and waking toward the boat. With a deep breath and a moment of hesitation, I followed.


	6. Into the Clouds

Upon boarding the boat, Candela went off in her own direction, offering me a 'good luck!' from over her should as she went. I wanted to follow, but by the way she had walked away, I got the distinct impression that I was supposed to go my own way. 

With the idea of possibly winning something at the back of my mind, I instantly started to look for Spark. 

Where I had come in at was a room designed to look almost like a traditional ballroom, with a grand staircase that led down onto the floor where people were mingling. I searched for Spark among these people, looking for either his hair or a golden mask, but I spotted too many golden masks to narrow it down that way. 

I almost thought that Spark hadn't arrived yet, until my gaze fell upon Blanche and Candela standing off to the side of the floor, talking to a couple of guys who looked like they were trying to hit on the pair.

I started toward the other two team leaders, but the moment Candela saw me she made a gesture toward the opposite direction, her orders clear. "Don't come near us." Her gesture said. I don't know if she meant it as a way of keeping me playing the game, or if she really just didn't want me around. Either way, I took heed of the command and turned on my heel, heading in the exact opposite direction that I had been going.

I walked on the edge of the crowd, doing my best not to get caught up in the mass of people in dress clothes and the like. Occasionally, someone would stop and ask me which gym I led, or what my trainer level was. Each time, I would respond that I was just a low-level trainer brought here by a gym leader. When they heard that, these people instantly decided that I wasn't worth speaking to, apparently.

So, any pretense of social interaction was dropped almost as quickly as I had begun to summon it. Instead of lingering among these people, I instead drifted off into one of the adjoining rooms, where there were fewer people. 

I moved through that room as well, hoping to find a room where nobody was. Instead of doing that, I came to a door that led out onto the deck. Wanting to get as far away from everyone else as I could, I pushed the door open and walked out into the twilight. The ship had already cast off about an hour ago, and the sea's harsh winds sent my suit jacket billowing behind me as I walked.

Spark had to have known that I wouldn't be accepted here, I thought to myself. Hell, maybe he invited me just to see how the other gym leaders would react. 

This thought made me stop dead in my tracks as it dawned upon me why Candela didn't want me to come near her and Blanche, she didn't want a low-level trainer to be seen near her with people like the Elite Four of the Regions milling around. 

I reached up, and tore the mask off of my face, throwing it to the ground after doing so. The cloth didn't linger there for long though, instead being picked up in the wind and carried off with the breeze. 

I stalked down the deck, searching for a place where I could be away from everyone. Some people strolled on the deck, but they didn't seem to pay me any mind, it was almost like they realized how insignificant I was just by looking at me.

Eventually, I managed to find a place that was fairly secluded, near the bow of the ship. It was on the opposite side of some kind of storage area, and had a bench that looked out over the ocean.

By this time, night had fallen, and it was getting fairly cold up on the deck. I didn't honestly care though, I just didn't want to be seen, by Spark or by anyone else. 

I slumped down into the bench, resting my head in my hands as I did so. My eyes peered out over the bow of the ship, at the churning black waves that licked at the front of the boat, occasionally sending a spray of salt up my way.

I figured that I could just stay here, where no one could find me, and hitch a ride back to the mainland. It sounded like a good plan, I could leave all of these stuck up elites to their party, and they wouldn't have to worry about the low-level who crashed it with his presence.

"Hey, buddy, are you feeling alright?" I heard a voice ask. I turned to identify the source of the voice, and when I did my blood froze in my veins. Had the guy had a mask on, maybe I wouldn't have recognized him as quickly, but he didn't, and I knew that face instantly.

"Sean?" I asked with a tone of disbelief. While I could still recognize my ex, he looked different. He'd slimmed down considerably since we'd been together, which wasn't complimenting to him. He'd looked better when he had muscle on his frame. 

"Yeah, yeah. What're you doing here?" He asked, sitting down next to me as he did so. "How've you been?" This moment should've been a lot more awkward, but it seemed Sean had erased our fight from his mind. 

"Uh, I've been alright.....I came here with Spark." I answered him in reverse order.

"Oh? Hey, that's really cool actually. I'm here with another gym leader from my region. She's a girl so, y'know, we're just here as friends." The subtext of that statement was clear. "Let's hook up." Is what I heard from Sean, despite what he said in an attempt to disguise it.

"Well uh, Spark and I are..." I hesitated for a moment, did I really want to lie to Sean? After a moment's consideration, I decided that it was better to lie and avoid a more awkward situation than to tell the truth and have him keep flirting.

"We're together." I finished, touching two of my fingers together as though to emphasize my point.

"Oh, yeah, that's cool. Hey, uh, I think that he was actually looking for you...I think everyone's been found...." There was an underlying question in that statement, the question of why I had been out here, of all places. I sighed.

"I don't belong in a place with a bunch of Gym Leaders, Sean. You know better than anyone, I'm not worth their time." Had I brought up one of the exact phrases Sean had shouted at me during our fight on purpose? Yes, I had, I hoped it would get him to go away quicker. Unfortunately, it seemed Sean wanted to make me feel better more than he wanted to leave.

"Alex.....that's not true." There was a moment's pause, and I could see him replaying our last fight in his mind. "I may have said that, but I was angry, I didn't mean it. I'm sorry, if that's messed with you, but you have to realize how angry I was. Let's be honest, we're both past that time in our life now, aren't we?" I nodded, not offering any words in response. 

"I mean, you're with the leader of Team Instinct, that's more than I could ever say for myself. If anyone treats you like they aren't worth their time, then make sure they know that they don't mean anything to you." At this point, Sean was just starting to sound like some sort of inspiration speaker, and I hated that kind of stuff.

"Uh, yeah, good idea." I said as I stood up slowly. "I'm going to head back inside....it was nice seeing you Sean." My words lingered for a moment between us, and I sensed that there was something Sean wanted to tell me. I gave him a look that begged him not to. I didn't know how I would deal with it at this point. Thankfully, it seemed like he got the message, he gave me a simple farewell before he stood up as well, and headed his own way.

I, likewise, started back toward the party, though I went the opposite direction in search of a door. Once I found one, I stepped inside, an announcement over the ship's loudspeaker jarring me as soon as I entered.

"One of our guests, Alex Stevens, has been reported missing. According to Leader Candela, he was wearing a mask with Rapidash sigils on it, if anyone has seen him, please inform us at once." Goddamnit, I had already made a fool of myself by just being here, now everyone was supposed to look for me? Not wanting to have this mass game of hide-and-seek go on for any longer than it already had, I started to jog down the hallway that I had found myself in.

I turned at the midsection of the hall, and trotted down the hall that led straight into the ballroom that everyone had been in when I'd arrived. I noted that it was much more full that it had been when I'd first arrived, and I hesitated for a moment as I drew closer. I really, really didn't want to go in there and look like an idiot. However, when I saw Spark up on the stage that the band had been on, wringing his hands anxiously, I realized that I had to.

I took a deep breath, squared my shoulders as well as I could, and walked in with a smile on my face, acting like I had been in the room the entire time.

"Did someone call for me?" I said loud enough for Spark to hear. His eyes instantly jumped from the floor to where I was standing, and he literally jumped off of the stage and ran through the crowd to me, picking me up in an embrace as he reached me, literally lifting me off of my feet.

"You scared me." Spark whispered into my ear as he set me down before throwing his arms around my neck.

"What do you mean? I was just in the bathroom." I quipped and Spark moved back, a smile cracking his nerve-wracked expression. 

"I'll tell you what happened later." I whispered low enough that only he could hear, and he nodded.

"Well, since Mr. Stevens has been found, I believe that we would like to announce that he and Spark are the winners of our little game of hide-and-seek. Let us congratulate Mr. Stevens for hiding so well that we thought he had gone missing!" The man joked, which was followed by applause by everyone in the room. 

"Since Mr. Stevens did such a good job of avoiding his partner, we'd like to offer them the guest house at the estate, so that they can make up for the lost time." The implications of that statement instantly sent a blush up to every single part of my face, as well as Spark's, but the more confident one of us gave the man a nod of thanks, while I wanted to bury my face in Spark's chest. 

"We'd also like to offer them a special dance. If you all would clear the floor, we'll allow them their own space." With that, the crowd moved from the dance floor, and I looked up at Spark.

"Could we...not?"

"Do you not want to?" I glanced around at the sea of people surrounding the dance floor, took a deep breath, and whispered back.

"If you want to, I'll do it. If you don't, then I'd really rather not." I could see the consideration in Spark's eyes as he looked around the room. 

"I think I'd like to show everyone who you are, if you're okay with that. You don't have to look at anyone if you don't want to." That made me feel slightly better, that he offering me a way to avoid everyone's piercing gazes.

"Sure." I whispered finally, and Spark gently pulled me out onto the floor by my hand. When we were in the center, and the music started, Spark pulled me against his chest and, instinctively, I curled my own around his waist.

"Just look at me." He whispered and I looked up into those glimmering blue eyes of his. I was ensnared by them. I could feel the gazes of everyone on us, but all that I knew was Spark. His arms were like a shield from the prying eyes of the people around us, and his eyes made sure that I knew where I was, and I knew what mattered.

At that moment, I felt myself go down a deep hole that I hadn't been down in a long time. No, that was a bad way to put it, not down a hole, more like Spark shot me up into the clouds, and I felt like nothing could touch me. 

"You look very stunning, by the way." Spark offered and I couldn't help but return the smile that radiated a warmth I only knew him to offer.

"Right back at you." I whispered, and, all too suddenly, the song ended. There was a moment of silence, and, feeling stupidly brave, I leant up and pressed my lips to Spark's.

True to his name, he sent electricity through the entirety of my body when our lips met. Every hair on my body felt like it was standing on end, and my heart had been sent into overdrive by the pulse that this had sent through me. Even though the kiss only lasted a moment, it felt like I could've stayed locked within his magnetic like pull forever.

If I hadn't been completely locked on Spark, then I would've noticed Candela's shocked expression over his shoulder. Instead, I could only see the astonished light in Spark's own eyes and, further behind that, a glow of happiness.

There was a stunned silence in the crowd that seemed to last forever, though in reality it didn't last more than a few seconds, like the pulse that had been sent through me by the contact had also affected the rest of the crowd.

"Let's go outside." Spark whispered, and gently took my hand, dragging me through the crowd. For a moment, I thought I had angered him, but when we were out of the view of the other trainers, his lips were on mine again, flipping the current back on between us.

My hands tangled in Spark's wild hair, and my lips moved in a passionate dance against his as he pulled my tight against his own body. It was like I had been a stack of kindling doused in gasoline, and he was the spark that ignited an inferno that had been brewing within me. 

I don't know how long that we stayed like this, but it was Candela's voice that broke us apart.

"Hey, Sparky, come get yours and Alex's stuff, I'll go with him onto the island." She said, and Spark suddenly jerked back, leaving me desiring more of his kiss, but the look he gave me told me that there was more to come.

"Yeah, sure." Spark said, squeezing my hand gently before heading off to get our luggage. Candela, conversely, walked over with her hands in the pockets of the suit she'd been wearing all night.

"So, not his boyfriend?" She asked, quoting me from a couple days ago, and causing my already present blush to intensify.

"Not officially." I responded meekly and she smirked.

"Well, by the way you two were going at it, I'd expect that to change real fast." There was a pause then, and then a question. 

"What happened when you left, and don't give me that 'I was in the bathroom' shit that I know you gave Spark. What really happened?"

"Nothing." I assured, and Candela sighed, shaking her head.

"Alright, if you want to talk about it with Spark first, that's fine, but you better tell me about it later. If someone said something to my brother's boyfriend, I want to give them a talking to." 

"Thanks Candela." I said as we headed toward the door that we had initially entered from.

"Just looking out for you, and Spark. I'll show you up to the guest house, and then I'll have to get back to Blanky." I didn't dare question what she and Blanche had planned, it didn't really matter to me, anyway.

All that I could think about was how Spark's lips felt on mine, and how his eyes gleamed when I looked into them. I couldn't wait to see that again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, when I wrote the kissing scene, and the dancing thing, pretty much that whole somewhat cute moment between these two, my heart was doing backflips the whole time, that's how into writing this I was. I hope you enjoy it.


	7. Supernovas

When Candela dropped me off at the guest house I realized just how crazy the mansion must be, because the supposed guest house was about the size of Spark's house. She showed me where the key was, which she informed me was in the same place as it was the year that she and Blanche has won their place in the guest house, in a false compartment under the window that was next to the door.   
With the key in hand, I thanked Candela and opened the door for myself, shutting it after the other trainer had stared on her own way. I turned the lights on, and observed the grand room that I had stepped into. It was probably the size of my entire apartment by itself, if not larger. A fire place was set into the far wall with a low couch in front of it. There was a small square made of couches behind that, and a TV on the wall that I was currently standing parallel with.   
I thought about starting a fire while I waited for Spark, but decided I would rather wait for him. Instead, I just took the black tie that I had been wearing off, and tossed it onto one of the couches as I walked across the stone floor, the heels of my dress shoes clicking against the tile with every step.   
I wanted to remove my shoes, but I wasn't sure if Spark wanted to walk around the island or something, so I kept them on. While I waited for Spark, I explored the house further.  
There a room with a pool and a hot tub, which I considered sinking into later. Close to that was a small gym like the one that Spark and the others had in their house. There were multiple bathrooms, four by my count, all aptly equipped when anything you could need. On top of the four bathrooms there were at least seven bedrooms on the two floors that I explored, though there were some rooms that also looked like they could've been used as sleeping areas, but were more geared toward entertainment.   
Unfortunately, there was no theater room with Mario Kart hooked up, but I was fine with that. I didn't think that I would really need that anyway, considering who I was going to be spending the night with.  
Oh, that thought sent way too many thoughts through my already-buzzed mind. We had kissed. That thought was one that was almost ridiculous in how it was being repeated in my mind, but I couldn't get the feeling of Spark's lips out of my head.   
It was strange, how he'd worked his way into my mind with the most minimal of effort. It had taken Sean at least a week or two before I started thinking about him in any capacity resembling how I was thinking about Spark. Then again, Spark wasn't Sean, that much was clear just by the way he spoke to me.  
Before I could explore what looked like a third floor, I heard the door open, and so I made my way back towards the living room to greet Spark. When I got there, he was still working on getting our bags inside, so I grabbed his, well, one of his two, and pulled it inside the door, setting it just inside where Spark had left the other two.  
I went to say hello, but Spark cut me off with a kiss as he gently walked me back up against the door, which he pushed shut as he did.   
If this had been anyone else, this feeling of being overpowered might've scared me, but with Spark I didn't even get that feeling from it. It was more a protective kind of thing when he did it, like he was telling me with his body that if anything was going to touch me, it would have to go through him.  
"A bit excited, are we?" I asked when Spark broke the kiss, nuzzling his nose into my forehead when he did so.  
"You surprised me on the boat," he replied "that was payback." I couldn't help but smirk at that.  
"From the way you acted, I figured that you liked it." A pause as I felt Spark's fingers trail up my spine, causing me to shiver slightly.  
"I did." He whispered before he moved back, a smile dancing upon his lips similar to how my heart was dancing in my chest.  
"So, what do you want to do now?" I asked as I leant back against the door.  
"Well, Blanche and Candi told me that I should take you out back."  
"Oh, are they wanting to kill me or something?"  
"No, they said there's something special back there." Spark insisted with a grin. Without another word, I followed him through the house and toward the back door.   
After a moment Spark stopped, seemed to consider what he was doing, and then reached down to intertwine our fingers.  
"That's better." He declared before starting to walk again, now swinging our conjoined hands between us. I couldn't help but smile at how childlike he could act after being serious only moments ago, it was one of the things that made Spark who he was.  
We exited through the back door, and I saw that a path of stairs extended up a steep hillside behind the house.   
"I'm going to carry you." Spark announced and, before I could protest,he had picked me up with one arm under my knees, the other supporting my shoulders. Acting on instinct once more, I wrapped my arms around his neck.  
"Spark, this isn't necessary." I insisted as he walked toward the stairs. It wasn't that I didn't enjoy this, it's more that I was afraid of him hurting himself on the stairs. Well, that and I really didn't like having my feet leave the ground when it wasn't of my own accord.   
"I want to carry you, though." Spark stopped as he spoke, looking down and meeting my gaze with the tiniest of smiles on his lips. I couldn't say no to that smile, so I sighed and just wrapped my arms a bit tighter around his neck.  
"If you insist." I said and Spark began the journey toward the top of the hill, which was actually a lot shorter than I had expected. It also seemed to be easy on Spark, who hadn't even broken a sweat by the time he sat me down at the top of the hill.   
On a platform about the size of my living room was a bed with tiki torches lit on either side, the white sheets billowing slightly in the breeze that rolled off of the ocean, which the platform had a great view of.  
"Wow." Was all I could say, captured by the beauty of the moment that I was in.   
"Ditto." Spark concurred as he stood next to me, his arm slowly making its way around my waist. I leant into him just slightly and I felt his fingers tracing circles on my side, why he was doing that, I couldn't tell.   
Breaking away from Spark for a moment, I walked forward and leant against the railing of the platform, which extended just a couple feet above the floor of the forest that it was built upon, raised just enough to provide an ocean view.   
"Y'know." Spark said as he walked up beside me and leant on the railing as well, "this view is almost as beautiful as you." I rolled my eyes at his comment.  
"Don't know if I should take that as a compliment or not, most guys don't like being called beautiful." I mused and Spark smiled over at me.  
"How about handsome then, or cute, or adorable?" He asked as his hand moved to intertwine with mine once more. Seemed I was swiftly learning how Spark acted as a boyfriend, very physically. That thought made me stop for a moment, Spark and I weren't a couple, he hadn't asked me out. I could have done it, but, in all honesty, I was very afraid to do so. Even with the hardcore flirting that he was doing right now I wasn't entirely sure if he really liked me. Even the kissing, that could've just been lust filled, that didn't mean a thing about his actual emotions toward me.   
"The stars are out." Spark observed with his head leant back, his voice snapping me out of the trance-like state that I had momentarily entered into.  
"Yeah." I whispered distantly, my eyes instead catching on the light in his eyes rather than the pale lights in the sky.   
"Spark." I whispered, and he directed his gaze back to me. I wanted to ask him out, but as soon as I stared to say something, my tongue decided that it wanted to cling to my mouth. So, instead of asking him what I really wanted to, I gestured to the bed with a nervous smile.  
"We could look at the stars." I explained with my hand still extended toward the bed. With a nod, Spark kicked off his shoes and walked over to the bed, lying down on it and stretching out. I, likewise, kicked off my shoes and laid down.  
For a moment, I feared that my awkward pause had ruined the moment for us, because we kept a small distance between each other on the bed when we first laid down. Then, Spark looked over at me from where he had been gazing into the pitch black of the sky, his eyes capturing the light of the torch next to the bed when he did. He didn't say anything, but the look in his eyes said more than a word could've.   
I scooted over, and when Spark's hand gently touched my arm, I leant forward so that he could wrap it around me. With this, I turned so that my head was resting on his shoulder, my eyes still looking right at his instead of toward the sky, where his own gaze was now directed once more.  
After a moment Spark wordlessly shifted, moving so that my face was now almost touching his chest, and both of his arms were around my waist. With a gentle tug of my shirt, I moved upward, responding to the unspoken commands that Spark was giving me, and I was all too happy to obey.  
Now face to face, emeralds gazed into sapphires. His thin lips pulled back into a tiny smile, and I couldn't help but look away slightly as a blush rose to my cheeks, that smile piercing right to my heart while one of my own began to break my features.   
Once I swallowed my nerves, which were now bundled up within the deepest recesses of my stomach, I looked back to Spark and leant forward. Our kiss was not forceful this time, like it had been on the boat, nor did they hold that intense passion that Spark had displayed out in the hall.  
These were gentle kisses, lover's kisses. We would come together briefly, and then break apart for a moment, the only sound being our shared breath as they seemed to fall in sync. After a moment of separation, the gravity between us would draw our lips together again, and each time it felt like a new supernova was going off within my body, triggering an infinite wave that crashed through me like a tsunami.   
Spark's hand strayed from my waist to my hair, and back, wandering all over my body as we kissed, like he wanted to know everything that my mortal coil had to hide.   
My eyes were closed, and I knew his were too, but I longed to see those angelic blue orbs, and so I leant back, capturing Spark's cheeks in my palms. He opened his eyes, and the light that was there could've outshone the brightest star in the universe.   
In those eyes, I could see the question that I had wanted to ask, and I replied by bringing our lips together once more, responding to the unspoken question that had lingered between us for barely a moment.   
Spark eventually broke our kiss again, and simply smiled at me as his hand gently made trails up and down my side.  
"We should probably get back to the house, unless you want to sleep out here, then I'll just go back in."   
"I want to stay out here." Was my muttered response, but when Spark started to sit up I grabbed onto his sleeve and gently pulled him back down.  
"Stay with me." I whispered and Spark returned to his position, all too happy to oblige.   
Under the eyes of the night, Spark and I removed the suits that had grown far too hot, each of us standing on either side of the bed as we did. When I turned, I witnessed Spark in all of his glory, covered by nothing more than what he had been wearing under his dress pants.   
His body was toned, lithe. He looks stronger than I had initially imagined, but extremely beautiful in his own way. I, on the other hand, felt inferior when standing in his presence near-nakedly, and so I swiftly crawled under the covers, electing a chuckle from Spark.  
He slid into the bed next to me, and looked down at the tattoos that Candela had pointed out earlier in the day. I expected him to ask a question about them, but instead, suddenly serious, he asked what had happened.  
When I met his gaze, he was giving me a look that begged me to tell the truth. So, I did. I told him how the other trainers had treated me, how I'd left because I didn't want to be there. I expected Spark to get angry, but instead, when I told him how it felt when I went out on the deck, he simply put his arms around me, and drew me into a warm embrace.  
"Fuck them." He asserted, referring to the other trainers, surprising me by his use of a curse word. "You are an amazing person, and I won't let anyone else make you think otherwise." He kissed my forehead then, and then leant his own forehead against mine.  
It was in that position that we stayed. With the wind rushing ever so slightly around us, and the waves crashing on the beach close enough to hear, in the arms of someone that I had never thought I would be with this way.   
It was this way, that I fell asleep in the place that I would never grow tired of. Not the platform, not the fancy bed, Spark's arms. They were, in essence, my castle, my shield. In that moment, even out where anyone on the island could come upon us, I had never felt so safe.


	8. Ink

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that this chapter is a bit short, I just love writing these two so much, I wanted to get another chapter out today. It's shorter than I would've liked but, hey, I enjoyed writing it. I hope you enjoy reading it.

It had been about a week since Spark had silently asked me out, and we were at his house. It was one of the extremely rare times that Blanche and Candela were both home as well, the first time I had actually seen the both of them since we'd left the island.   
We were eating, pizza by Spark's choice because what else would he ask for? The way that the table was set up was different than a normal dinner table, that I liked it. Spark and I were sitting right next to each other, while Blanche and Candela sat directly across from us.  
"I want a tattoo." Spark suddenly declared, and Blanche's icy gaze instantly shot to me.  
"What did you say to him?" She demanded and I held my still-greasy hands up in a gesture of innocence, the bite of pizza that I had just torn off still half-chewed in my mouth. I swallowed, and then explained.  
"I didn't say anything; I mean, he didn't even tell me about wanting a tattoo." I informed the pair. Blanche's eyes seemed to pierce right through me as she attempted to discern if I was telling the truth or not.  
Spark, thankfully, decided to clear the tension by explaining why he wanted a tattoo.  
"I like Alex's tattoos." He explained "I think it'd be cool to have one." Oh, well, that really helped my case a grand total of not at all. "He didn't say anything about getting one though." He assured, somewhat helping me out in that respect.  
"Well, what do you want to get?" Candela asked and Spark smiled, his enthusiasm returning at Candela's seeming acceptance of the idea.   
"I want my team's logo." He declared and Candela rolled her eyes.  
"Y'know, I would've expected that from a seventeen year old, or someone who had just gotten on the level to join a team, but why would you, a team leader, want a tattoo showing which team you're on?" I could see Spark visibly deflate at Candela's tearing down of his idea.   
I wanted to say something, but at the same time I had to agree with Candela, it didn't make sense for Spark to get a tattoo of his own team's logo, especially when he was the one who founded it.  
"Do you have any other ideas?" I asked in an attempt to revive my boyfriend's generally happy demeanor, but he just shook his head. At the moment, he looked like a child who had gotten his favorite toy taken away. I looked at Candela while Spark looked down, using the hand out of Spark's view to indicate how dejected he looked. Candela rolled her eyes, but sighed.  
"How about you just get a lightning bolt?" She suggested. "It's still your element, but it's not your logo." Spark visibly perked up at that suggestion, as it at least resembled his original idea.   
"That's great, come on Alex."  
"Come on?" I asked as Spark slid out of the table. "Where are we going?" I questioned and Spark grinned.  
"I'm going to get my tattoo, come on."I looked down at my half-finished plate of pizza, then back up at Spark, and sighed. I couldn't say no to him when he got excited like this, he was like a puppy.   
"Alright." I conceded, pushing my plate away and getting up to follow him. We walked side by side down the path to the lift, Spark walking with a noticeable skip in his step as he did so, humming a tune as he walked.  
When we got on the lift I took my seat and leant my head against the glass. When Spark sat next to me he instantly slid his hand into mine, our fingers intertwining naturally. There was silence for a moment, then Spark asked me a question.  
"Will you get a bolt too?" He asked and I chuckled.  
"You want to get matching tattoos?" I questioned. I hadn't expected that. Well, maybe I had a little bit, I hadn't been completely sincere with Blanche and Candela about Spark not mentioning tattoos, I had just thought he was planning to get them further down the line, not like right now.   
"Sure, why not." He offered and I sighed, rolling up my long sleeved shirt, pointing to my right forearm.  
"I'll get it on my right, you get it on your left." I said and Spark nodded, grinning at the suggestion.  
"This is going to be so cool." He said with excitement clear in both his tone and his eyes. God, did I love his eyes.   
Unfortunately for Spark, handling pain was not one of his strong suits, and so when we were in the tattoo parlor, I ended up holding his hand while they did my tattoo. I sat nearly stock still the whole time, having never had an issue when getting a tattoo, even the first time. Spark, on the other hand, visibly twitched every few seconds, even though he was nearly breaking my hand like a woman in labor.  
"Just relax." I instructed him and Spark's eyes darted over to mine. I couldn't help but laugh at the fact that he looked like a kid getting a shot.  
"This is my only one." He informed me and I shook my head.  
"You'll get more." I assured him, and he returned that assertion with a scoff. It was true though, I hadn't wanted any more tattoos after I got my one of Zahra, but then I went and got Alo tattooed on me, and then Sean's Pokemon. Those last two had been stupid ideas, all things concerned, but I knew at this point that Spark was going to get needle fever just like I had for the few months that I had gotten all of my ink during.  
Speaking of, the lightning bolt on my arm was actually coming out really well. It didn't take long for the guy to finish mine since I was basically a statue for him to draw on, and he thanked me for being a good client while I paid and tipped him. Spark probably would've protested to me paying had he been aware of anything but how much his arm hurt.  
"Ow!" He yelped when the guy started tattooing again. The artist looked past Spark, right at me, and asked with a highly annoyed expression if I had suggested that Spark get a tattoo. I, in return, insisted that it had been Spark's idea. By the way that the guy eyed my other ink, I could tell that he didn't believe that for a second.  
Thankfully, it didn't take long for the guy to finish the piece after he had stared again, and when he was finished I paid him while Spark was still distracted by the I colored outline on his skin, grinning as he admired it.  
"Let me see yours" he insisted, and I held my arm out to him, smiling at the way he grabbed a hold of my arm and examined it closely, comparing it to his.  
"Awesome." He said with a wide grin before hugging me.   
"Now you look like a real Instinct member." He informed me with a grin.   
"Nah babe, you're the one who looks like true team instinct. I'm just a nobody." I said as we both got up out it the tattoo chairs. I led the way out of the parlor, opening the door for Spark as he went through.  
"I'm calling Shenanigans, babe." He countered and I rolled my eyes.  
"Well, if it's either agree or have you call shenanigans on me, I guess have to agree." I responded and Spark chuckled, putting his arm around my shoulder as walked.  
"I love you." He suddenly said and my eyes shot to him.  
"What?" I asked lime he had just said one of the most nonsensical things that someone could say. In all honesty, he kind of had.  
"I said I love you." He repeated and I smiled.  
"I love you too, Spark." I responded, which only caused his grin to widen.   
That wasn't completely honest though, no, I could tell that what I felt for Spark wasn't really love yet. It was the same thing that I had felt for Sean while we were together, but I could feel love building. It was like my emotions were a flower, and it was just beginning to blossom. I wouldn't tell Spark that I didn't love him, though, because I knew that these feelings would explode soon enough.


	9. Movie Night

When Spark suggested a movie night, I had expected a horror movie, or something romantic, something stereotypical. Admittedly, that was pretty stupid of me, considering who it was that I was dating. I should've expected something a bit out of the ordinary, at least. What I had not expected, however, was for the entire theater room to be decorated like Disneyland, complete with different images of Mickey Mouse and friends. Thankfully, there were no animatronic animals, if that were the case I probably would've refused to go into the room. I fucking hate those things.

"So, Disney?" I asked as I stood in the door next to Spark, who beamed over at me as he nodded.

"I love Disney movies." He explained.

"I know," I replied with a smile "you told me Lilo and Stitch is your favorite when we first started messaging, remember?"

"Oh, yeah.......I have that in there." Spark said the last part like he was afraid I was going to angry about him putting in his favorite movie first, which I couldn't help but smile at. He was so cute, I would say sometimes but that wouldn't do him justice.

"What else do you have?" I asked as I made my way down to the middle row of seats, where Spark and I had the last time we'd played Mario Party with Candela.

"Uh, in the player right now I have Aladdin, A Goofy Movie, Finding Nemo, Big Hero 6, Lilo and Stitch, and Up, of course." Well, at least Spark had included my favorite movie as well as his own. "Do you want to watch Nemo or Lilo and Stitch first?"

"Uh, flip a coin." I replied, not wanting to seem selfish by picking my own movie. Spark nodded and fished around in his pocket for a coin, pulling out a gold piece after a moment of rummaging. 

"Heads Nemo, tails Stitch?" He asked and I nodded.

"That's fine." With that settled, Spark flipped the coin. I watched as it spun in the air, humming as it did so. When Spark caught the coin, he smacked it down against his hand with a pop, and then uncovered it. The triangle that represented tails faced upwards, and so I smiled and informed Spark to go ahead and start the movie. 

While he was doing that, I moved the arm rest up between our seats so that I could sit right next to him. When Spark sat back down after staring the movie he instantly put his arm around my shoulders, and I leant my head into the crook of his neck.

Now, I will come right out and say that Disney movies make me cry nine out of ten times but, surprisingly, I managed to make it until Big Hero 6 before I almost started bawling into Spark's shirt. Unsurprisingly, he had a few tears tracing down his face as well, but he hid it much better than I did.

"Babe, it's going to be alright, you know how it ends." Spark assured me as the saddest scene in the movie played out. 

"Noooooooo" I groaned as I literally pushed my face into his chest like I was trying to burrow through it. I could feel Spark's chuckle as well as I could hear it, since my face was almost directly in his diaphragm at this point.

I sighed, and then begrudgingly sat up, pulling my feet up into the seat next to me as I looked back up at the screen.

"That scene gets me every time."  
I muttered as Spark gently ran his fingers through my hair, which I had managed to grow out a but since Candela had cut it.

"Why do you watch the movie then?"   
Spark questioned and I shot him an exasperated look.

"Because it's so good!" I exclaimed, emphasizing each word with my hands, which I shook as I spoke like I was trying to conjure the words themselves out of thin air.

"Oh, right." Spark joked as he leant forward and kissed me on the forehead, leaving his usual warmth to radiate from where his lips touched. 

I checked my PokeDex, curious as to what time it was, and saw that it was nearly four in the morning. 

"Is Alo still asleep?" I asked, knowing that my Gengar had curled up and slept when we'd started the movies, seeing how it was too early for him to really be up. Too early for him, anyway. 

"Nah, he's been awake for a few minutes." Spark informed me. "Zahra's out though, back there with Pulse." I was glad that my companion got along with Spark's, it'd be kind of an awkward situation if they didn't. 

"Well, I'm about to pass out." I informed my boyfriend, who just smiled.

"Oh come on babe, it's only four in the morning, what kind of wuss can't make it past four in the-" I cut Spark off with a light punch to his side, which caused him to chuckle. 

"Alright, alright. Do you want to sleep in my room, or out on the couch?"

"The question is do I have to walk up the stairs to your room."

"You do not." Spark informed me with a grin. In response to his answer, I simply held my arms up. My boyfriend leant down and allowed me to wrap my legs around his waist, my arms curling around his neck as his own supported my butt.

"You're so cute." Spark muttered as he carried me out of the room, toward the staircase that led up to his room.

"Nooooo." I groaned quietly, aware that Blanche and Candela were probably already asleep in their own rooms. That, or they were both in one of the rooms that they basically migrated between. Spark and I, unlike them, stayed in the same room almost every night that I was here, which was often the majority of the week. 

"Yessss." Spark whispered in return and I sighed, squishing my face into his neck instead of responding. I figured that this action was enough of a response in and of itself. 

Spark carried me up into his room, which Candela and Blanche had assisted him in keeping clean ever since I had started staying over, even though I insisted that Spark's room didn't have to be immaculate for me. They had insisted otherwise.

Spark set me down on the bed, grabbing a shirt out of his dresser, one of his many team instinct branded ones, and handed it to me after I took off the black v-neck I had been wearing. I kept my shorts on though, as I didn't see them as too big of an inhibitor when it came to sleeping. 

Spark, on the other hand, stripped down to his boxers almost every time that he went to bed. I didn't mind of course, but it was kind of funny how we contrasted.

When we were both secure in the covers, me curled up into Spark with one of his arms casually thrown across me, we whispered our goodnights before slowly drifting off.


	10. Tricks and Treats

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warning: This chapter depicts homosexual sex between two males. If you do not want to read that, I suggest you stop reading right after the Blanche and Candela leave. From there on, I can't promise anything. This is my first time writing a scene like this, so I hope some will find it enjoyable.

So, the first holiday that I celebrated with Spark and his family was Halloween. What better holiday to celebrate with someone like Spark, right? After about three months of being together I had started to expect only the strangest things from my boyfriend, but when I arrived at the house dressed up in my Link costume, I was shocked to see that Spark was not Spark.

In fact, none of the inhabitants of the house were themselves. Spark had shrunk somewhat, and had developed a tan and almost platinum blonde hair, while Candela had grown considerably more pale and had sparking blue eyes. Blanche, lastly, had grown, and now had a fiery look in her eyes that contrasted her normal icy stare.

In short, they had all switched places for Halloween, it seemed. 

"Hey Babe." Spark greeted when I stepped into the living room, smiling as he did so.

"Hey." I replied, leaning up and kissing him on the cheek when he got close enough to do so.

"I like your costume." I commented, though I questioned if I could really call it a costume, it looked more like Spark had literally just grabbed Candela's formal attire out of her closet. The others seemed to have done pretty much the same thing, just with each other's clothing.

"Are you seriously wearing a Link costume?" Candela asked and I nodded, messing with the green hat as I did so.

"Sparky, your boyfriend looks good in tights." Candela declared, which earned a sigh from Blanche and a chuckle from Spark.

"Can we not draw attention to the fact that he's wearing tights?" Blanche asked, though a little bit too late.

"Hey, I like it." Spark said, pinching a bit of the fabric to emphasize his point. He then leant in and whispered in my ear.

"Maybe I could see you without them later?" He purred in my ear and I rolled my eyes, gently pushing his face away.

"Babe, not in front of your family." I scolded and Spark smirked.

"But I think they'd like to see too." He informed me and I rolled my eyes.

"I doubt that highly." I responded and he shrugged.

"I'm going to go ahead and agree with Alex on that one." Candela confirmed from where she stood with Blanche.

"I second that." Blanche agreed, and Spark groaned.

"You guys are terrible wing sisters." He whined and they both smirked. 

"Hey, you can do whatever you want when Blanche and I aren't around." She emphasized the 'aren't' in that statement as she walked over to a bowl of candy that was sitting on the table. 

I hadn't noticed before, but there were only three distinct candies in that bowl, while another one had a blend of different chocolate bars. I noted, with a hint of a smile, that they were all my favorites. The bowl with three in it was, unsurprisingly, colored with only red, blue, and yellow. Fireballs, some kind of peppermint that was red instead of blue, and, what else for Spark but nerds.

"You guys are such dorks." I muttered as I picked up a Twix from the bowl that had seemingly been set aside for me, throwing Spark a small pack of nerds as I did.

"Oh god Candela, did you really get him Nerds?" Blanche questioned and Candela chuckled.

"I did, I figure Alex should see what kind of stuff he'll be dealing with as long as he's with Spark." While I didn't know what they meant at the moment, it soon became clear when Spark didn't eat the Nerds right away. Instead, he opened one side of the box and started blowing into it, producing a sound that sounded uncannily like a Kazoo. (Yes, this is real if you were wondering) I couldn't help but laugh at this as Spark started playing his new candy-kazoo hybrid intensely, playing some kind of epic song for a few moments before tipping the pack and emptying all of the candy into his mouth.

I couldn't help but clap at that, it was pretty damn adorable even if it wasn't that impressive. With a bow, Spark slipped the now-empty box into his pocket before going to grab another one.

"Please hold of on the kazooing for a bit." Blanche pled with my boyfriend, who had already put the box up to his lips to start playing again. He looked from the box, to Blanche, and then back to the box before tipping it back and allowing the candies to flow into his mouth like a stream. With two boxes of nerds in the can for Spark, I still hadn't finished half of my Twix.

"Babe, we set up a haunted maze." Spark informed me after slipping his second empty box into his pocket for later disposal.

"And I'm guessing you're wanting me to go on it?" I postulated and Spark nodded. I sighed, then set down my still-unfinished candy bar, taking the hand that Spark had extended to me.

"If there are any chainsaw wielding guys out there, I swear to God I'm leaving you." I informed Spark and he chuckled.

"No, I made sure not to put chainsaws in." He assured, aware of how much those things terrified me.

Spark led me out of the house through the back door, and to the woods that rose up behind the house. The trail was marked by blue lights, indicating to me that this was most likely planned out by Blanche.

That made this trail seem instantly more intimidating, as even after three months of being with Spark, I barely knew anything about how Blanche functioned mentally. I knew she was smart, but that didn't really tell me much.

Once we were on the trail, I stuck close to Spark, our shoulders basically brushing together with each step as we journeyed deeper and deeper into the woods. Go awhile, it didn't seem like anything was going to happen, but then there was a noise like someone had just dropped something incredibly heavy on a hard floor, and I nearly jumped into Spark's arms. He chuckled at my obvious fright and I punched him in the arm, his smile remaining as we continued walking.

See, I was never a fan of these haunted trails, or houses, or whatever else you could think to call them. It's like, I know I'm going to get scared, I just don't know when. At least in horror movies there was a fairly obvious indication of when the scary stuff was going to happen. 

Case in point about the unpredictability of this situation, I was suddenly surprised when multiple pairs of red eyes appeared on the path in front of us, causing me to jump back into Spark, who had at some point gotten directly behind me.

The group of Gengar responsible for my fear toddled off, all of them more or less going their own way. After that, it was more or less one scare after another. A ghastly or a haunter making a strange noise from the darkness, a duskclops or a zubat flying just a bit too close, and, at the end of the trail, Candela and Blanche jumping out of the bushes, Candela roaring intensely while Blanche remained silent. Thankfully, due to the rapid succession of scares, I was already highly alert and had been prepared for something at the end of the trail so, more or less, their scare didn't have much of an effect on me. 

"You guys did a good job on that trail." I complimented as we made our way back to the house, Candela and Blanche walking hand in hand the same way that Spark and I were.

"Hey, it was all Blanky's idea." Candela praised and I acknowledged Blanche's creativity, which she thanked me for meekly.

When we got back inside, Blanche and Candela decided that it was time for them to head up their room to watch some cheesy horror movies. So, they said goodnight before heading upstairs, leaving Spark and I alone.

"Let's get in the hot tub." Spark announced suddenly. I didn't say anything, because right after he said it Spark started walking toward the room with the pool in it, where the hot tub was also located. 

Spark led the way inside, turning on the light at the bottom of the hot tub while also turning off the main lights, making the lights in the tub the only source of illumination. So, I was now in a situation where I walked blindly toward that light with my boyfriend somewhere behind me. 

I stood on the edge of the pool, and removed my Hero of Hyrule costume, throwing all of my things against the wall that was somewhere to my right. Behind me, I could hear Spark removing his clothing as well.

Once I was in only my boxers I quickly slipped into the water, still embarrassed when it came to undressing in front of Spark. Not because I hadn't done it before with Sean, more because I couldn't compare to Spark in terms of pure beauty.

When Spark slipped into the tub, he did so almost silently as he sank down onto the edge beside me, the water coming up almost to his armpits, while it nearly submerged me up to my neck. 

Spark didn't stay in that spot for long though, as I felt the water shift as he moved forward and turned toward me, putting his hands on either side of me before leaning in and kissing me gently. I slowly slid back against the wall of the tub as I kissed Spark back, ensuring that I had support with which to stay upright as Spark pressed forward, slowly moving my legs apart so that he could move his body between them until we were chest to chest, our arms tangled around each other as we fell into passion.

His lips were soft against my own, but Spark pressed forward with ever increase passion, causing me to retaliate with equal desperation as he made my heart start to pound like a drum. 

I could feel Spark's hands as the began to roam my body, while my own remained on his back. He ran his hands down my back, over my legs, up my chest, exploring me with the tips of his fingers.

Then I felt his fingers hook into my boxers and slowly begin to tug them down. Without hesitation, I lifted my hips to allow Spark an easier time at removing my remaining undergarments, our lips still dancing together as he did so.

When my boxers slipped off, I heard them land with a slight splat on the floor somewhere behind me, though I didn't open my eyes to discern where. I did, however, open my eyes to discover that Spark had been naked perhaps this whole time. 

The sight of him standing bare in front of me, even with his form obscured slightly by the water that submerged him from the neck down due to the position he was in, caused me to feel somewhat faint as he ignited a fire deep within me. 

"Do you want to do this here?" Spark whispered, breaking from our kiss momentarily to ask his question, his lips hovering mere millimeters from mine even as he waited for my reply. 

"As long as it's with you, I wouldn't care no matter where we are." I whispered into return, pressing my lips back to his. As I did this, I felt his hand drift down and brush over my length. Even in the heat of the water, I shivered as I felt Spark trace my entire length, so slow I swore that he was teasing me. 

Without any warning, Spark suddenly wrapped his arms under my legs and lifted me out of the water, setting me on the edge of the tub as he moved to stand on the ledge that we had been sitting on moments ago. He leant over so that he could place a hard kiss on my neck, one that sent a bolt of pleasure running through me, only intensified by his hand returning to my length. His movement was faster than before, but still too slow for my liking. For a moment, I wondered how to urge him on, before realizing that I knew exactly how to.

My hand timidly reached out, my closed eyes making it difficult to find what I was aiming for. My fingers brushed over Spark's toned core, and drifted further down until I found his own length, which I ran my fingers up the underside of. Spark broke our kiss as he let out a shaking breath, one that had my name mixed somewhere within it.

I returned my hand to his base, and encircled his length before beginning to stroke it slowly. Spark returned his lips to mine, but there was a definite lack of focus as he attempted to continue pleasuring me while being pleasured in turn.

Slowly, I increased the speed of my strokes, hoping that Spark would get the hint. Thankfully, it seemed like he did, as he mimicked my speed, the pleasure that this new energy incited shooting through me like thunderbolts, causing me to shiver involuntarily as my back arched in an attempt to move my hips even closer to Spark's hand than they already were.

Suddenly, Spark ceased his repetition and instead pulled me forward so we were chest to chest, both of our lengths pinned between our warm bodies. His kiss deepened, and then he pulled away as a hand reached up to cup my cheek.

"I want you." He whispered, the lust within his tone so heavy that I was surprised he was being this civil at the moment. 

"I'm yours." I returned, and Spark set me back down on the ledge of the tub. I leant back voluntarily, not lying down, but leant back enough to give him easier access to what he desired. 

My heart pounded in my chest, each beat sounding like an explosion within my clouded mind. Spark slowly moved forward, his body moving over mine, his arms on either side of my chest as he leant down to kiss me.

"I love you." He whispered when he broke off the gentle meeting of our lips, his eyes staring down into mine. In them I could see something so bright that I had to know it. I saw Hope. Maybe Spark couldn't recognize it in that moment, or maybe he would call it love. I wouldn't, I saw hope for my future, and I saw myself standing right by his side for as long as he would have me there.

Spark continued to look down into my eyes as he guided himself toward the object of his desire. There was pain as he entered, of course, but it was swiftly replaced by a pleasure I had never known before, only accentuated when his hand began to administer the same repetition it had ceased moments ago, stroking my length slowly as he waited for me to adjust to his size.

Spark took a tentative thrust forward with his hips, as though he were asking my permission to move. I leant up to kiss him in response. 

Then it began. His thrusts were slow at first, his strokes of my length moving in sync with his own length as he thrust deep into me, causing me to see stars every time that he hit a certain spot somewhere within my depths. 

"Spark." I moaned as he suddenly increased the speed of his thrusts, which caused me to lose my balance and fall back onto the floor next to the tub. Spark moved forward to compensate, his free hand running gently down my side before taking a hold of my hip and using it as a sort of support as he continued his thrusts. 

"Wait." I whispered and Spark suddenly froze, his eyes meeting mine, a clear terror written in them.

"Are you okay, did I hurt you?" These questions spilled out so quickly I almost couldn't process what he said.

"No, no, you're doing amazing." I assured, grabbing onto the ledge of the tub and sliding myself forward on Spark's length with a breathy moan. With him now buried within me, I was able to move my legs up and put them on his shoulders. 

"Go ahead babe." I whispered, more comfortable in this new position. With that utterance, Spark started out slowly as he became accustomed to this new position that we were in, but he swiftly found his pace once more as he soon began driving into me, causing me to elicit small gasps of pleasure each time a bolt of it shot up my spine. The inferno inside my depths was growing hotter by the second, and I could feel all my nerves tightening like a spring being coiled up, ready to explode.

All it took was Spark hitting the right place a few more times. The spring somewhere deep within me suddenly got extremely tight, and I started whispering Spark's name over and over, urging him on.

"I'm-" Spark started to say, but I cut him off with my lips, saying through the kiss that I wanted him. 

He lost all semblance of control then, thrusting into me like a man possessed before he suddenly released my length, grabbed my hips in both hands, and gave three hard, deep thrusts that sent me over the edge at the same time I felt his release inside of me. 

Spark nearly collapsed on top of me, his length still buried within my depths as he showered my face and neck with kisses. We both panted heavily, a sheen of sweat catching the faint glimmer of the dim light that the tub cast. 

"Spark." I whispered his name, and he ceased his administration to meet my gaze wordlessly.

"I love you, so much." I told him and a tired smile spread across his lips before he leant up to kiss me gently.

"I love you too, more than anything or anyone." With that said, Spark slowly withdrew from where he had sheathed himself in me, and gently pulled me into the tub so that I was sitting on his lap.

There was silence between us then, as I had my head on his chest, one arm wrapped around his neck while the other lingered on his side just beneath the water  
.   
"That was my first time." Came Spark's sudden confession, and I couldn't help but smile. 

"Yeah? Mine too." 

"Can we do that again sometime?" I couldn't help but grin at the underlying excitement in Spark's voice, like he had suddenly found his new favorite thing to do.

"As much as you want babe. Just give me some time." I whispered before leaning up and kissing him on the lips. He returned my kiss, full of love so pure that I had never imagined I could feel something like it. 

We lingered in the hot tub for awhile, but soon Spark offered to carry me to bed. That was an offer that I could never refuse, and so I wrapped my other arm around his neck as he picked me up. 

We moved through the house, both of us still without a shred of clothing on us, but Spark didn't seem to care. I, on the other hand, was very scared that Blanche and Candela would catch us. 

Fortunately, we made it back to Spark's room without incident, and he set me down on the bed before lying down next to me. I turned to face him and moved forward, resting my head in the crook of his neck as he intertwined one of his legs with mine, pulling the comforter over us as he did. 

"I love you." He whispered.

"I love you too." Came my natural response.

What I felt for Spark now, as I lay next to him, still bathing in the afterglow of making love, I knew that it was truly love. Whatever flower he had been cultivating within my heart had reached full bloom.

And I would do anything to keep it alive.


	11. Little Black Box

If someone had told me before meeting Spark that my fully-grown boyfriend would wake me up earlier than I had ever woken up before on Christmas Day, I would've laughed in their face.

After being with Spark for almost half a year, I can't say that I expected anything less, but four in the morning was a little bit much, in my opinion. Spark, on the other hand, acted like I should've been up about two to three hours earlier.

"Come on babe!" Spark exclaimed with a gleeful smile, bouncing on the bed in an effort to get me up. I groaned in response, rolling over and pulling the covers into a bunch around me. When I did this, Spark sat back on his heels, though I couldn't see I could tell by the way that the bed shifted.

"Don't make me enact justice." Spark threatened, and I bolted up, turning to face my boyfriend at Mach 5.

"Don't you dare." I warned, pointing a dangerous finger at him. Spark, being Spark, didn't heed my warning, instead tackling me as he began to tickle me, an activity he had termed 'justice'.

"Babe, babe no!" I managed to sputter out as I started to laugh uncontrollably, flailing about in an attempt to escape Spark's attack. Unfortunately for me, I was very, very ticklish. Spark stopped suddenly at my insistence.

"If I carry you downstairs will you stay awake?" He offered somewhat of a compromise, as he knew part of my issue with leaving the warmth of our bed was walking.

"Only if I can keep the blanket." I replied, curling the comforter around me likes cocoon once more.

"Deal." Spark replied and I scooted over so that he could pick me up easier. Once he had me in his arms, I snuggled into him, closing my eyes in a last-ditch effort to get some sleep while he carried me downstairs.

I did manage to drift off in the span of the minute or so that it took to get downstairs, but I was brought back to reality when Spark set me down on the couch. When I opened my eyes, I saw that the white bulbs that wrapped around the Christmas tree were on, serving as the only illumination in the room.

Ironically, it seemed Blanche was in a situation very similar to mine, as we actually sat side by side on the couch, wrapped in blankets. The only difference was that Blanche looked halfway awake, while I was still lingering on the edge of sleep.

"Spark, get Alex something to drink before he passes out." Blanche instructed wearily, casting a faint hint of a smile my way when she did. My boyfriend turned from where he had been rummaging around under the tree next to Candela and noticed how close I was to literally tipping over out of exhaustion.

"Maybe we shouldn't have gotten them up at four in the morning?" Candela wondered out loud and Spark chuckled.

"No, we had to do that. They just need to learn to have some energy. I'm going to get Alex some tea, do you want anything?"

"Nah, I'll just keep working on Blanky and I's gifts." So, Spark quickly rose and I heard him walk off into the kitchen. Moments later, I felt a weight come onto my lap and I looked down to see Zahra there, appearing just as tired as I was. I let her into the blanket, where she instantly curled up against me. Alo, on the other hand, was seemingly conversing with Pulse, who was curled up next to Ember and Frost, Candela and Blanche's respective Eevees. 

"Babe, I got you tea." I heard Spark to my side and I slowly looked over at him, taking the tea from him before leaning up to gently kiss him.

"Thank you love." I whispered as he went back to gathering the presents that had been deposited under the tree. I really, really hoped he liked mine I thought to myself as I sipped on the tea that Spark had gotten me. Spearmint, I thought to myself with a smile, he knew exactly what I needed. 

Once everything was gathered, Spark returned with a pile of three boxes, which he sat in front of me.

"These are yours." He announced and I turned to look at Blanche and Candela.

"You guys got me things?" I questioned, utterly surprised by that fact. I had gotten them little things, but they'd seemingly gotten me almost as much as Spark had.

"You're part of the family." Candela asserted, which Blanche agreed to with a simple nod.

"Wow....thank you." I said as I returned the smile that Candela was now displaying.

"Open mine last." Spark ordered as he plopped onto the couch next to me, holding his own stack of presents. I wondered how he managed to talk through the candy cane that had mysteriously appeared between his teeth.

Candela and Blanche had mostly gotten me things together it seemed, as they had both gotten me various articles of Team Instinct clothing, including a hoodie and a jacket. The only thing unique to each's present was that they had also included an item from their own team, Candela giving me a pair of black sweat pants with the Valor emblem emblazoned on them, while Blanche had given me a sleeveless mystic t-shirt. Candella's present was also full of Twix, while Blanche's had small boxes of mints lining the bottom. 

"Thank you guys so much." I said with a smile, which was met with acknowledgment from the other team leaders. They both seemed somewhat on edge though, like they knew something I didn't. Probably some team leader worries, I reasoned. 

Shrugging off their lack of speaking, I opened Spark's box, and smiled when I found CDs of my favorite music stacked against the side in an orderly fashion, something that Blanche's hand obviously had a part in. 

I gently slid the CDs out, hoping to maintain their order, and set them on the coffee table as I continued to go through the package.

Spark had, unsurprisingly, given me a Team Instinct shirt, though this seemed to be one of the unreleased designs, so I appreciated that greatly. Beneath that was a Growlithe plush. I mused that I could cuddle that on the nights that Spark had to travel. 

There were some other small articles of clothing in the box, but what really caught my eye was the smaller box nestled into the corner of the original present. With a curious glance in Spark's direction, I saw that he was in the midst of digging through my present. So, slowly, I reached in and withdrew the tiny black box, which fit in the palm of my hand.

When I opened the lid of the box, I felt my breath catch in my throat as my heart froze in my chest. My arms shook and I felt Spark's hand on my arm as he gently took the box from my grasp, withdrawing the silver ring resting there and discarding the note that had been attached to the inside lid.

"Alex, I love you so much" Spark started "I want you to be at my side every day when I wake up, and I want to fall asleep holding you close, for as long as I'm alive." Spark paused then, waiting for a response to the question on the note.

"Yes." I whispered as tears of joy started to well up in my eyes, obfuscating my view of Spark as a grin split his features after he slid the ring onto my finger. Once the ring was secure, Spark scooped me up and kissed me, my focus on him drowning out the quiet cheer that Blanche offered, combined with the similar, but louder, cheer from Candela.

In that moment, holding onto Spark while he kissed me like it was the las time he ever would, the whole six months that we had been together flashed in front of my eyes. 

I knew with Spark that our life would never be predictable from this point on, but I hoped that it was even better than our relationship had already been.

Now, officially, I was his.


	12. Ambushed with Questions

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, exciting little tidbit about this chapter, this story has broken the halfway point for the standard novel length. That may not be exciting for some people, but I've only written something this long one other time. I hope to bring you so much more of this story, and I hope you enjoy.

"Are you ready babe?" Spark asked, peering over the counter top that we were crouched behind as we did so.  
"This might be one of the dumbest things I've ever done." I responded and my now-fiancé just cast a grin down at me from his slightly elevated position.  
"Don't worry, we'll do plenty of stupid stuff." He assured and I rolled my eyes, though I couldn't help but smile at the thought of doing stuff like this more often.  
When I heard the door open Spark instantly dropped down next to me, bouncing slightly as he gave me a look of pure excitement.   
"This is gonna be great." He whispered and I smirked, though I didn't say anything reply. I didn't want to tip Blanche and Candela off to our location.   
"Spark! Alex! We're home." I heard Candela call, the dress shoes she had been wearing clicking against the floor as she came into the room.  
Without a word, Spark grabbed one of the cupcakes he had set out behind the counter, out of Candela and Blanche's view, and hurled it directly at the pair like a frosting covered missile.  
The cake hit Candela square in the face and before she could say anything, Spark and I had begun the full brunt of our assault, casting cupcakes and pieces of pie their way. I lamented the loss of the sweets, but Spark had insisted that it was for the greater good. He also promised to get me some of my own, since we were wasting so much.  
About halfway through our assault, Candela was completely covered in frosting, though Blanche had managed to avoid the majority of our spray by hiding behind Candela, using her girlfriend as a human shield.   
In addition to being almost entirely clean, Blanche was launching a retaliatory attack by grabbing some of our still-usable ammunition, launching it back out way at terminal velocity. When I poked up to throw another pastry, Blanche managed to hit me full in the face, which sent me on my ass while Spark started laughing uncontrollably, doubling over and ending our assault by doing so.  
"You two are so dead!" Candela exclaimed, literally vaulting over the counter top. Now in our own territory, she grabbed our unused ammunition, literally smashing a cupcake against my face before turning and sniping Spark with a pop-tart.   
Candela suddenly stopped, however, when I heard a lighter voice laughing softly. I looked around, confused, until my eyes came to rest on Blanche, who was doubled over, holding her stomach as she laughed.  
"Holy shit." I murmured, having never, ever heard Blanche laugh in the months that I had been here.   
Candela, in response to her girlfriend's laughter, spiked another cupcake into my chest. Blanche laughed out loud in response.  
"I didn't think this was that funny." I informed Candela, my gaze switching from her to Blanche.  
"Hey, it works." Candela responded with a smirk, extending her hand to me, which I grasped. She pulled me up, and when I looked over the counter I saw that Spark was sitting by the couch, where Candela had hit him, eating the pop tart that she had nailed him with. It was in pieces, but Spark didn't seem to care.  
"Babe, that was on the floor!" I scolded and Spark's eyes darted from me to the pop tart, and then he popped the last piece into his mouth.   
"Now it's in my stomach." He replied with a grin. I rolled my eyes at his response.  
"Just....please brush your teeth tonight." I whispered, pinching the bridge of my nose as I did so. When I looked back to Candela she was eating one of the cupcakes which had, like the pop tart, been resting on the floor.  
"Am I the only one who cares about hygiene?" Blanche and I both exclaimed simultaneously, which caused us both to smile.  
"Why don't you get Spark cleaned up, I'll take care of Candela." Blanche offered and I nodded.  
"We'll take the downstairs." I informed Blanche as I walked over and brushed some crumbs off of the back of Spark's head.  
"Come on babe, I'll clean up while you shower." I informed him and Spark frowned.  
"What about you?" He countered, and Blanche cut in, saying that she would clean up the mess, but Spark and I had to cook tonight in exchange for that. It sounded like a fair trade to me.  
So, Spark and I stepped into the shower together, his back turned to me so that I could ensure all of the pop-tart filling came out of his hair.   
"That was fun." Spark declared after turning to face me, his characteristic grin splitting his features.   
"Yeah, it went better than I expected." I confessed "I thought Candela was going to fight you or something."  
"Well, she did snipe me with a pastry."  
"Very true, but I expected a lot worse." I informed my fiancé as I ran my fingers through his hair, ensuring that no pieces of the aforementioned ammunition lingered in his golden locks. That, and I just loved running my fingers through Spark's hair.   
"Babe, when do you want to talk with Blanche and Candela about our wedding?" Spark asked, suddenly bringing anxiety crashing down on me. I groaned at the question.  
"Babe, you know how worried I am about talking with them."  
"They're very supportive."  
"I know they're supportive babe, I mean, they cheered when you proposed. This early though? I think they expected us to stay engaged for awhile." Spark, always being excited to do things quickly, had decided that we should have our wedding ceremony on Valentine's Day. He had declared it "the perfect day." I had agreed, but with some hesitation. I didn't know how I felt being married after only two months of engagement. I wanted to marry Spark, that was for certain, but I felt like we at least needed our own place before we married.  
"Why don't we talk to them about moving out first?" I pressed, and Spark's grin shrank.  
"You still want to move out?" He questioned with a somewhat disappointed expression. That hurt to see. I knew Spark's reason for not wanting to move out, but I thought it would be better if Blanche and Candela had their own place, and we had ours.   
Especially with Spark fantasizing about starting a family, that was another thing I had to talk to Blanche and Candela about. Not just us moving out and starting a family, but Spark had suggested we ask one of them to be a surrogate.  
In all honesty, I felt that asking that of them was a very hard thing to do, especially with the work that they did. I didn't have an issue with Candela or Blanche carrying Spark's child, I just worried about how that would affect them.  
"Why don't we just talk to Blanche and Candela when we get out of the shower, like after dinner, let them have some time to unwind after work." Spark seemed to catch that I was thinking about more than just moving out, because a smile returned to his features.  
"Catch three pidgey with one ball?" He offered and I sighed.  
"More like pulling a band-aid of a wound. I just want to talk to them and have that worry out of my mind. If they don't think it's a good idea to marry this early then what do you want to do?"  
"Do it anyway." I nodded, before what he said fully sunk in. My eyes shot up to Spark's, and I saw that he wore a serious expression on his face now.   
"I want us to get married on the perfect day." He insisted, and I sighed. When Spark put his mind to something, he certainly was insistent about it.  
"Alright babe." I whispered, kissing him in an effort to revive his joyful mood. Thankfully, my efforts were successful. That definite spark returned to his eyes before he turned the water off and stepped out of the shower, handing me the towel he had retrieved for me before we'd gotten in.  
We dried off, and I dressed in the sweatpants that Candela had gotten me for Christmas, along with one of my Team Instinct hoodies.  
Once we were dressed, Spark and I made the only thing we really knew how to make, which was spaghetti. I was honestly surprised that we even managed to do that, especially with the added factor of possible burns from the stove.  
Thankfully, by the time we served the food to Candela and Blanche, neither of us had incurred any burns.   
"What's on your mind Spark?" Blanche asked as soon as we sat down, so much for waiting until after dinner for this conversation.  
I instantly pushed my place in Spark's direction, as he had already started wolfing down his plate despite Blanche's question.  
"We wanted to talk about a few things." I answered for my fiancé, who gave me a smile of appreciation as he chewed.   
"Like what?" Candela saw her way into the conversation from beside Blanche, causing me the worry of getting into a two-on-one argument with them.  
"Firstly, Spark and I have decided on a wedding date." I waited for a moment to see if they would say anything to that statement by itself, but Blanche gestured for me to continue.  
"Valentine's Day." I offered, and had the offer instantly shot down by Candela.  
"That's way too early. It's already January, there's no way you could get a wedding planned in that amount of time."  
"What if we could?" Spark asked, finally moseying into the conversation.   
"I don't see how you could." Was Blanche's insight.   
"We'll find a way." Spark insisted, effectively wrestling the direction of the conversation away from me and on to him.   
Blanche and Candela looked at each other, and Candela shrugged, which caused Blanche to sigh in frustration.  
"If you do a small ceremony then I believe it will be possible." She offered "however, Candela and I get to help plan."  
"Deal, now we have one more thing we want to talk about." Spark said before starting on the plate I had pushed his way.   
"Alright, I know that this is a lot to ask of you, either one of you." I started, then stopped, unsure of how exactly to go on with this question.  
"This involves us directly?" Blanche questioned and I nodded, biting my lip as I did.  
"Well, this should be interesting." Candela mused as she pushed her now-cleaned plate away, propping her chin on her palm.  
"Spark, could you please ask them?" I pled with my fiancé, who nodded, holding up a finger to indicate that he'd be a second. Once he swallowed the food that he'd been chewing on he pushed his plate away.  
"Alex and I are talking about starting a family."  
"Woah," Candela cut in "easy there cowboy, you aren't even married and you're wanting to adopt?"  
"Well, not adopt."   
"Then what?" There was a momentary pause as it took Candela a moment to realize what Spark was saying, Blanche seemed to have already caught on.  
"I'll do it." Blanche offered and Candela's attention snapped to her girlfriend like a laser.   
"No." She commanded "if anyone's going to do it, it'll be me. You get sick too often, what if something happens to you?" The concern that Candela showed for Blanche rivaled my own for Spark.   
"I'll be fine." Blanche assured.   
"No." Candela insisted "out of the question, I'll be the surrogate, if only to make sure that you aren't." Blanche turned on Candela then, and I could almost feel the edge in her words as she spoke.   
"Candela, we both know that we will never be able to have a child together, just like Alex and Spark. Despite that, I want to know what it feels like to be a mother. You can support me in that, or you can find the door." Silence hung around us at the ice in Blanche's tone, and I saw Candela fighting back her own argument, internally debating on what to do.  
"Fine." She finally conceded, and I let out an inaudible sigh of relief, which I noticed Spark mimicked.  
"I will look into how this will work." Blanche informed us while Candela slumped forward in her chair, resting her chin on her folded arms.   
"Thanks, Sis." Spark said with a smile. In the context of the conversation, that took on a much weirder meaning than it was supposed to.  
"Anything to see you and Alex happy." Blanche assured. I had to admit, for as cold as she could act, she really was one of the most selfless people that I knew.  
"I'm going to bed." Candela suddenly declared before storming off, heading upstairs in a huff.  
"I'll go talk to her." Spark regarded us before heading to follow Candela. Blanche, strangely, didn't try to stop him, so I knew that something was on her mind, and she wanted to speak to me.  
"Are you ready to start a family?" She asked once Spark was out of earshot, and I nodded.  
"I just don't want either of you to give up your well-being for us."I informed her, subliminally referring to Candela's comment about her health.  
"Candela is....easily worried." Blanche assured "I'll be fine...besides, like I said, I've always wanted to be a mother." She said this with a hint of a smile, highly uncharacteristic for her.  
"Don't you and Candela want to have a family?" I questioned and Blanche sighed, then shook her head.  
"No, Candela has told me on multiple occasions that she wouldn't know how to begin taking care of a child. It's....unfortunate, that we disagree, but I chose to let it go, for the sake of our relationship."Blanche suddenly reached out, and rested her hand on mine.   
"Thank you....for this opportunity." She whispered. I returned her thanks with a smile.  
"I'm just glad that it'll make you happy....I just don't know how to deal with Candela."  
"She'll be fine....I actually hadn't expected her to offer to be a surrogate...that was extremely strange of her."  
"She cares about you." I asserted, and Blanche nodded.  
"That is true, but maybe we're taking a step in the right direction....I'm going to head up. I'll send Spark down, goodnight, Alex." Without another word, Blanche slid out of her chair and walked gracefully upstairs, leaving me pondering on her final musings when she did.  
When Spark came back downstairs, he did so with a skip in his step. When he hit the bottom stair he started running, scooping me up in an unexpected hug and kissing me on the cheek.  
"We did it, we're going to get married, we're going to have a kid!" Spark exclaimed and I laughed at the blunt nature of his excitement.  
"You're so cute babe." I said as he put me down. "I'm excited too, but you just get so giddy." I continued, which caused Spark to smirk.   
"Well, excuse me for being excited." He said with mock offense and I tapped him on the arm in response.  
"Yeah, yeah. Why don't we head upstairs and start planning for these thighs?" Spark seemed thrilled about that idea, and so he dragged me upstairs so that we could submerge ourselves in wedding planning.  
God help me.


	13. Melt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can anyone tell what song I was listening to for this chapter?

"I'm sorry for what I said." I whispered as Candela moved about the room, pacing so quickly that it was nearly a jog.

"No, you're not." She shot back, and I could feel the edge that she put into her words chip at the walls I had built up, the ones that only she could have any chance of dismantling. 

"You understand my reasons, don't you?" I demanded in return, my tone fighting to remain level in an effort to keep thins civil. I did not want this escalating. At my words, Candela suddenly turned and faced me, stopping her pacing. Instead, she just ran a shaky hand through her hair.

"No, goddamnit, frankly, I don't. You are not in good enough health to be a surrogate, why don't you just let me do it?" Candela accentuated this last sentence by pointing first to me, and then to herself. 

"Because you don't want to do if, not really." I returned. 

"Goddamnit Blanche!" Candela said, suddenly lunging forward and grabbing me by both arms. "If it will keep you healthy, and keep you safe, then I. Will. Do. It." I tensed at the way Candela grabbed at my arms, her fingers just gripping me hard enough for them to dig at my skin. 

In Candela's eyes was the flame that I knew all too well. It was partly composed of anger, partly of love. The anger quickly faded out though, as she held onto me. Slowly, Candela slipped forward, wrapping her arms around my own body and drawing me close. My arms instinctively encircled her waist in return.

"I'm sorry." I whispered again. There was silence between us then, so I took the initiative.

"I....I shouldn't have told you to leave....." My composure broke as I could feel emotion welling up inside me. My walls were crumbling just from Candela's simple presence, and I had no means of stopping their collapse.

"But you know that I would never mean that, right?" I asked as my voice cracked noticeably, tears finding their ways into my vision no matter how hard I tried to will them back. 

Again, silence from Candela, broken right before I continued.

"If I wanted to leave, I would have left by now." Was her response, calling up memories of a time that we had stood together in a highly similar fashion, when our roles had been reversed.

"You know I'd be lost without you." I whispered in return, my hands moving to find here as we spoke words that had been ingrained in our minds ever since that night two years ago. 

"I can be obnoxious at times, just try and see what I'm really saying." Candela returned as she squeezed my hand gently. It was strange, how we were plucking up words from our memories to best suit the situation. 

Candela broke her hold on one of my hands, and reached up to gently run her fingertips down my cheek, before grasping my chin between her thumb and index finger. With this hold, she gently pulled my chin forward as she leant down to kiss me.

Ice and fire strangely blended together in the fluidity of the way our lips moved over each other. We were one mind, one soul, intertwined by the simplest of intimate expressions. 

When Candela broke the kiss, I could sense the words coming, and so I spoke them just as she did.

"You're the only one in this world that I would die without." We whispered in sync before our lips met once more, Candela's hand gripping be fabric of my shirt as my own fingers attempted to find a hold in her short hair.

It was truly remarkable, how well our personalities worked to deal with situations like this. When I was being cold as ice, Candela was the one who could always melt through my permafrost, and when she was living up to her fiery reputation, I was the one who could always cool her down.

We were, in essence, harmony incarnate between two human beings. Even if we did fight, or argue, we always found peace in each other at the end of the day.

So, when all was said and done, Candela and I laid facing each other, the maximum distance between our two bodies barely being more than an inch. It was when I was just beginning to drift off that I heard Candela whisper.

"If you really want to have their baby, then I'll support you the whole way."

"I love you." Was my tired response.

"I love you too." With our initial argument put to rest, we both drifted off peacefully.


	14. Happy Endings

Being left alone in the house with Blanche was not something that I honestly looked forward to. 

Here's the deal, usually only one of the three of the leaders was gone at any one time. If Spark was here, I'm sure you can tell where he basically was all the time. If Spark was gone then usually Candela and Blanche kept each other busy. If Candela was gone, then Blanche just kind of stayed in her room.

HOWEVER, when Candela and Spark were gone things got way too awkward in the house. I felt like I could always disturb Blanche accidentally by walking in on her doing something important. So, basically, when it was just Blanche and I in the house, I only went to three places and those were: the kitchen, the bathroom, and mine and Spark's room. Anywhere else was basically a danger zone. 

So, on the second night of the four that Candela and Spark were going to be out of the house, I was in bed. I had my Growlithe plush with me while I watched movies, my Pokemon both sitting on the other side of the bed. Due to the lack of sunlight, Zahra was already out cold, while Alo sat up, gazing absentmindedly at the screen of the television. 

I would have gladly stayed this way for the entirety of the night, had a knock on the open door to Spark and I's room sent me jumping almost out of the bed. When I looked to discover the source of the knock, I saw that Blanche was standing in the doorway. Currently, she looked amused at the fact that I had jumped at her entrance.

Despite living in the house for almost three months, it was still extremely jarring to see the ever-serious Blanche wearing an over sized t-shirt with her hair tied up.

"You've been avoiding me." Blanche observed as she walked into the room, not even stopping for a moment to ask permission before doing so.

"Not exactly" I responded as I scooted over, allowing Blanche to sit down on the bed where I had been lying down only moments ago.

When she sat, we didn't say anything for a moment. I wondered if I was supposed to speak first, but it seemed that Blanche decided to take the lead.

"How do you feel?"

"About?"

"The wedding." Oh, right, the wedding. In less than two weeks I would be a married man, married to the most wonderful human being who had ever graced the planet. 

"Scared as hell." I offered as an answer, leaning back against the headboard as I spoke. 

"Why?" 

"I don't want to fuck things up." I replied, wanting to vomit at the very thought of the anxiety that the day would cause, which was already making itself known in the pit of my stomach.

Blanche offered me a hint of a smile.

"I don't know what you could fuck up, it's a small ceremony."

"Not the ceremony," I retorted "Spark and I's marriage." I clarified, which caused Blanche to cock a brow at me.

"How would you do that?"

"I don't know." That was the real issue, I had no clue how I could fuck things up with Spark, but if I knew anything from experience, it's that I would always find a way to fuck things up. It was basically Murphy's Law, always applied to my life.

"Well, kind of hard to mess up, then." Blanche rationalized and I rolled my eyes. 

"What if I'm not a good parent?" I demanded. I had been thinking about that more than anything, seeing how Blanche had actually scheduled her day to attempt insemination. That, more than anything, scared the living shit out of me.

At my question, Blanche gently put a hand on my leg.

"I have the same worry." I could see the worry in her eyes, which were usually so devoid of any emotion that this new indicator was unsettling. 

"Why? You have that instinct about you. I think you're the only reason Spark and Candela function." Even Blanche couldn't help but let out a chuckle at that.

"I suppose, but they're two grown adults." A pause "well, Candela is, at least." I had to return her hint of a smile now, glad that she had made an attempt at defusing the tension.

"As I was saying, this is completely different. Raising a child is a whole new challenge compared to what I've done."

"That's why I'm afraid." I, unlike Blanche, had never taken care of anyone before. Hell, I had enough of a time taking care of myself and Spark. Thank God that Candela and Blanche had offered to help raise the baby, they were truly my saviors.

"I would think you and Spark would be great parents. Paternal instinct should help plenty." At the underlying pun of that statement, I couldn't help but roll my eyes.

"I just...." I sighed "I always seem to fuck up." I confessed, voicing the root of most of my concerns for the first time. Blanche stayed silent, but when I met her gaze her eyes told me to explain.

"My parents divorced when I was young" I started. 

"That's not your fault." Blanche objected, a dubious expression on her features.

"That's not what my father said." I replied, peeling my gaze away from her as everything else came rolling out, a flood that I had only let loose to one other person.

"I dropped out of high school, I had terrible grades even though I was pretty smart. I had a good trainer level, I could've gone Pro, but I let that opportunity slide by." Blanche looked like she wanted to cut in at this point, but I didn't let her. Instead my voice only increased in volume as everything came streaming out.

"I didn't see my mother when she was sick. I could've, but I was afraid. She died without seeing me after I dropped out. I was an asshole to almost everyone I knew, and I lost a lot of my friends." I turned to Blanche as tears started to make their way down my cheeks. 

"Then, I treated my last boyfriend like shit. I was in a bad situation, but I shouldn't have taken it out on him. Now, I'm afraid that something will happen and I'll do the same to Spark." I sputtered through the last sentence before I put my head in my hands, my fingers grasping my black hair like I was about to pull it out.

A pair of slender arms moved around my chest, arms that were strange to me, yet so comforting. When I looked up, all I could see was the curtain of Blanche's near-white hair, and I could feel her chin resting on my shoulder.

"You'll be fine." She whispered and before I could say anything she leant back, looked me in the eyes, and spoke. 

"There was a time, about two years ago, that I nearly killed myself." She informed me, her tone now deadly serious.

"Do you know why?" A shake of my head was the only reply that I could offer up.

"Candela and I had a fight so bad that she left. I was.....less mentally sound at the time. When Candela went out that door, I felt like I had messed everything up." Blanche sighed, looking away for a moment, collecting her thoughts before she looked back at me.

"For a couple of hours, I just sat in our bed, crying my eyes out because I had pushed away the first person to ever truly love me. When I wondered how I was going to go on without her.....I thought that I couldn't." Blanche bit her lip.

"I'm not going to tell you what I tried to do, but, before I could do it, Candela came back. All I remember is that I was a sobbing, tear soaked mess as I collapsed in her arms. I told her that I was so sorry, that I never should have said what I did. Do you know what Candela said?" Another shake of my head as I watched Blanche calmly wipe tears out of her own eyes.

"She told me that she'd ran home as soon as she'd gotten away from the house. She said she'd realized that our argument didn't really matter, and what mattered was us."

"I don't understand." I said as Blanche finished, still sniffling as I wiped remnants of tears from my eyes. Blanche, in response, gently rested a hand on my shoulder before speaking.

"It means that even fuckups like us can find someone who means the world to us. It means that if Spark really loves you, which he does, then he will stay with you even if things get hard. It means that, sometimes, we get our happy endings."

"I don't deserve him." I whispered.

"And I don't deserve Candela." 

Blanche's smile briefly returned with that statement. "I guess we both got lucky." Blanche's hand lingered on my shoulder for a moment before she let it go.

"Come on." She commanded as she stood. "I'm going to think of baby names, I want you to help. Maybe that'll help get your mind off of things." I couldn't help but smile at that idea, thinking of baby names to forget about how incredibly scared I was to be a father. 

I wasn't about to question Blanche's logic though, and so when she walked out of the room, I followed.


	15. Sparks Fly

"I'm scared."   
"Good scared, or bad scared?" I didn't know how to answer that question.  
"Good scared? It feels like I'm going to puke."  
"Oh, yeah, that's good scared." Candela grinned as she affirmed her statement to herself. She out her hands on my shoulders gently and looked me over.  
"You look good, well, y'know, for you." She smirked and I managed to roll my eyes as a tiny smile found its way to my features, the joke slightly dispelling the worry that had been building in my stomach all day.  
"Bulbasaur." Zahra said from my feet, and I looked down to see that my ever-faithful companion was rubbing her head against my leg, a gesture of comfort that she had offered ever since I was a child. Alo, on the other hand, could only offer me that permanent grin. I could only assume that he meant it as a good sign for once.   
"Thanks, guys." I said quietly as I got down on one knee between them, putting a hand on Zahra as I did. I would've done the same for Alo but, y'know, ghost.   
"I couldn't have asked for a better best man." I addressed my Gengar with a smirk.   
"Or a better flower girl." I added as I turned my gaze to Zahra.   
"Gengar." Alo agreed, moving as though he was puffing his head-chest out with pride.   
I stayed like this for a few minutes before Candela opened the door, and looked outside.   
"Your Dad's here." She informed me, and I froze in place. Who in the world had invited him? Suddenly, everything didn't seem so bright, and the nerves that had been building up in my stomach came back worse than ever.  
"Let him in, please." I said, forcing a smile as I stood, brushing off my suit while I did so. Zahra and Alo flanked me on either side, staring directly at the door in the same manner as I did.   
When my father came through the door, I was surprised to see that both he was actually dressed up.  
"Alex." My father greeted without a single muscle in his face moving. His eyes betrayed no light, his tone no true emotion.  
"Dad." Was my reply. Then, there was silence, during which Candela stood behind my father, shooting me a highly confused look.  
Rule number one, if you have a father who kicked you out, make sure your fiancé's siblings know that fact before you plan your wedding.  
"It's nice, that you're here." I offered, and my father scoffed.  
"Well, I'm not exactly here to congratulate you." That stung, definitely more than it should have. I hadn't expected him to approve of me marrying Spark, but, somewhere, I had hoped he might.   
"I'm not backing out, if that's what you're here to get me to do." I countered, crossing my arms over my chest, ruffling the electric-yellow dress shirt under my jacket.   
"I know you won't." My father replied, then crossed his arms over his chest.  
"However, if I have to give you away then I guess I will. Just know this. After I walk you down that aisle, I won't be back."  
"Glad we see eye to eye for once." Candela slowly backed out of the room then, leaving the door just slightly ajar.   
"Hear you got one of the others knocked up." My father said suddenly and I cocked a brow.  
"She is having my child." I replied, attempting to put it in a less crude manner than my father did.   
"Yours?"  
"Yes." It was after Blanche and I's discussion that she'd decided for me to be the one who fathered the child she would- was carrying.   
My father just gave a slight grunt of acknowledgment. For a moment, we didn't speak, but, thankfully, Candela came in to get us, which broke the silence.  
When she told me it was time to go, I approached my father, looking up into eyes that were identical to mine. On his breath, I could smell the liquid courage that had more than less likely convinced him to come here. While he wore a tux like I did, it was visibly disheveled, and he wore a white undershirt in contrast to my near-golden one.  
"Let's get this over with." My father said, extending his arm to me. I looked from him, to Candela, and then back to my father.  
"I'd rather you leave." I replied before walking up to Candela, my Pokemon following.  
"Candi, would you walk with me?" I asked and Candela's eyes widened.  
"Alex, I-"   
"Please." Candela looked over my shoulder, straight at my father. Whatever look he was giving her, or me, cemented her decision.  
"I'd love to." She whispered, holding her arm out for my to hook my arm through. Eternally thankful, I moved my arm through Candela's.  
With her free hand, Candela reached into her pocket, pulled out a remote, and pressed the largest button. Instantly, Sparks Fly, an acoustic cover of it, anyway, started playing.  
"Really?" I asked as we walked toward the aisle, Candi briefly turning to flip off my father while we did. Out of my peripheral vision, I saw Alo attempt to imitate my friend's gesture.   
"Seemed like the perfect song." Was Candela's response once she lowered her finger, stepping out into the aisle, where I caught my first view of Spark for the day.   
In that moment, it was like I was seeing him for the first time all over again. His blonde hair was slicked back, much in contrast to his usual wild style, and it caught the light from the windows in a way that perfectly captured the highlights that lingered there. His vibrant blue eyes lit up when he saw me as though they were Christmas tree lights and someone had plugged them in when Candi and I had stepped out. Almost in slow motion, his lips pulled back to reveal that amazingly familiar grin that I had loved since the day that I'd met him.   
"Ready?" Candi whispered and I nodded. With a nod of agreement, Candi took the first step down the aisle. Zahra moved ahead of me quickly, with Pulse coming up beside her. Zahra blew flower blossoms out of the bud on her back, while Pulse held a pillow in his mouth, Spark and I's rings resting on it. Alo, unlock the other two, walked beside me with his grin not seeming out of place for once in a room of smiles.  
Remember how Spark and I had agreed on a small ceremony? Yeah, that wasn't what we got. When Candela and Blanche tried sending out just a few invitations to some of Spark's friends from other regions, word got around real fast that the Team Instinct leader was marrying the guy that he'd been with on the St. Anne.   
So, the entire Church was full of people. I recognized Gym Leaders from a variety of different regions, along with at least two members of the Elite Four. Had I not been so focused on Spark at the moment, I probably would've ran out of the Church. Thankfully, I was focused on Spark.  
It seemed like it took forced to make our way down the aisle but, when we did, I couldn't help but think that every moment in my life could've been spent walking here, and I would've been happy with all of it.  
Come to think of it, that's exactly what happened.  
"I think this is your's." Candela offered as we got to the Altar. Spark, grinning as he did, took a step forward and extended a hand to me.   
When I took Spark's hand, all of the nerves that had been building up in my stomach faded away. There was nothing here to be worried about, Spark's smile assured me of that. Here was the man that I knew I wanted to spend forever with.   
Without another word, Candela let me go and went to stand next to Blanche off to the side. Zahra, likewise, went to join them. Alo, in contrast, stood at my side while Pulse stood directly between Spark and I.  
The Pastor said a few words, and then asked if Spark would like to present his vows first. Spark nodded, and then pulled a note out of his pocket. He took a look at whatever it was that he had written, and then threw it away.  
"Don't need that," he explained at my obviously befuddled expression. Instead, Spark took both of my hands in his before speaking.  
"Alex, from the moment that I guessed your name wrong in the bus station, you had my attention. I remember thinking that I had never met anyone who interested me the way that you interested me. From the moment that you sent your first message to me, since that first night that we stayed up talking, I knew that you were the most interesting person I had ever met. It didn't take me long to fall in love with you after that. I remember we were on the St. Anne and you had gone off, and when I couldn't find you my heart jumped into my throat. I searched all over for you, and I couldn't find you. The fear that I felt at the thought of losing you was what made me know that I loved you. After that, everything that we did only solidified my love for you, and I know now that I want to be with you, until the stars fall." The pastor nodded at Spark's declaration, then asked me if I had any words to say. I took a breath, and then met Spark's gaze before speaking.  
"Spark, when I met you, you scared the living hell out of me. I remember that I was sitting in a bus stop, probably looking like one of the trashiest human beings on Earth, and then out of nowhere here comes one of the best looking guys I had ever seen in my life. I remember that I wasn't feeling too good that day, but when you smiled it was like you had lit up the darkness that had been surrounding me. You still do that for me to this day. There are so many times when I think about all the things that I've done wrong in life, and I always worry that I'm going to make another mistake. What I do know, however, is that everything I've said to you, everything we've ever done, I wouldn't trade any of it for the world. Spark, you are the one thing that keeps me grounded, and keeps me sane. Every day, I wake up with a smile because I know that it's another day that I share with you, and I go to sleep smiling because I'm in your arms, and I've never felt more loved. You are my love, but you are more than that. You are my best friend, you are the person that can make me smile no matter what, and more than anything, you're the one I want to spend eternity with."   
After a short declaration, the Pastor asked for the rings. At this command, Pulse stepped forward with his head held high and proud, holding the rings out for Spark and I. We both leant down, grabbed the ring intended for the other, and then faced each other once more.  
We both extended our left hands, and when I slipped Spark's ring on, he slipped mine on in turn.  
"You may kiss your husband." The pastor addressed Spark, who gently put his hands on my hips before responding.  
"Gladly." He whispered, before leaning forward and pressing his lips to mine.   
Time could've stopped, or ended, right then, and I would've been fine with that. Hell, I could go back and relive every moment of my life up to that point, and I would've been happy with it. As long as I got to stand with Spark on this altar, with his lips on mine, I would've gone through hell and back again.  
Unfortunately, we had to break out kiss before the flame building inside me could be fully satiated. Spark gave me a look that said he would take care of that situation later.   
To the cheers of the crowd that had gathered, Spark and I turned and walked down the aisle, our Pokemon all walking ahead of us as we did. We walked hand in hand, and I just smiled meekly at all the gathered watchers, while Spark waved at all of them.   
Once outside, Spark and I waited together to greet everyone that had come to the wedding. Due to the volume of people, I moved into Spark's side like I was attempting to fuse into it.   
It was a storm of trainers and leaders, reporters and photographers that seemed nearly endless. They would ask me questions sometimes, which I would quietly respond to, though Spark was usually the one doing all of the talking.  
By the time that all of them had gone, the sunset had turned into nightfall. There wasn't a reception, due to how quickly we'd had to plan everything, but I was fine with just celebrating back at the house with Blanche and Candela. That had been the plan, anyway.  
However, when we got into the car that Spark had driven here, he didn't head home, instead, he headed straight out of town.  
"Uh, babe, we're going the wrong way." I informed him, and Spark laughed.  
"Did Candi not tell you?"  
"Tell me what?" Spark didn't reply, instead he just gave me a smug smile.  
"Tell me what?" I repeated once more. Again, Spark didn't respond.  
"Ahhhhhhh." I groaned.  
"Babe, it's a surprise." Spark finally responded and I groaned even louder.  
"Can you tell me?" I questioned and Spark shook his head.  
"If I did then it wouldn't be a surprise. You can sleep if you'd like, love, it'll be awhile." Well, that certainly brought up some questions, but I decided that sleep probably was a good idea, I was almost falling asleep in the seat anyway.  
So, I moved so that my head was leaning against Spark's shoulder before kissing him on the cheek.  
"I love you." I whispered.  
"I love you too, always."  
"Always."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will, most likely, contain smut, just a fair warning.


	16. Come Sail Away

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this chapter does not contain the previously promised smut. I wrote this in public, that's the reason. The NEXT chapter, however, will have the smut. I promise.

When I woke up, I knew instantly where it was that Spark was planning to take me. The car we had been riding in front the past couple of hours was parked at a dock, one that I knew from riding here with Candi.  
"Babe, you can't be serious." I said, turning to face Spark as I did, who just returned my statement with a smile.   
"Well, you know me." He said, opening his door before coming around and opening line as well. I rolled my eyes and then stepped out of the car.  
"What about clothes and such?"  
"Won't need 'em." Oh. The bluntness of Spark's statement actually made me crack a smile.  
"You're such a dork." I said, gently pushing on his side before he slipped an arm around my waist, walking me to the boat that was moored to the dock, bobbing slightly in the waves as they broke against the stone.  
"Yeah?"  
"Yeah." Spark leant over and placed a gentle kiss on my lips before I could begin to say anything else. Unfortunately for the desire deep within me, the kiss was only a short one, ending just as quickly as it has started as we continued to make our way to the boat.  
When we arrived, I noted that there didn't seem to be anyone else on the tiny vessel.  
"So uh, where's the Captain?" I asked, and Spark grinned in return.  
"You're looking at him, love." He replied before hopping onto the boat, which shook slightly at the shift in weight. Once he was stable, Spark turned and extended his hand to me so that he could assist me onto the boat.   
"When did you learn to drive a boat?" I asked as I took Spark's hand, stepping down onto the craft with him. At my question, he chuckled.  
"It's just like driving a car, just a bit more complicated." He said, though by the fact that he didn't offer any indication of learning when to drive, I presumed that he had simply commandeered this vessel of his own discretion.  
"If you say so, babe." I replied before Spark led me up toward the bow, where the steering wheel was. Spark, being Spark, asked me if all things were prepared before we set sail, using a very pirate captain-sounding voice as he did so.  
"Aye, aye." I replied, bringing my hand up for a mock salute. With that, Spark started the engine, which sputtered before roaring to life, loud enough that it nearly caused me to jump out of the seat that I had been sitting in.  
At my reaction, Spark chuckled.  
"You landlubbers are so scalawagged by the call of the seas." He said, and I wanted to tell him that's not how the word scalawag worked, but decided to let Spark have his fun.  
So, I sat next to where Spark stood, steering the wheel while occasionally calling out pirate jargon the entire time that we were heading toward the island. Much to my surprise, Spark seemed to actually know his way around a ship, because he would occasionally check some different gauges and indicators before adjusting our course.  
"How far are we from the island?" I asked after what had seemed like an eternity, standing up when I did so. My legs had fallen asleep over the course of our voyage, and so I held onto my seat as I waited for feeling to return.  
"Nearly there, matey." Spark replied and I rolled my eyes.  
"You should get a pidgey to sit on your shoulder." I commented, and Spark cocked a brow at me.  
"A pidgey? Why not a spearow?" He asked, suddenly breaking pirate captain Spark character.   
"Eh, I just feel like a pidgey would make a better parrot." I replied. Out of all the things I had believed I would be talking about on my wedding night, this was definitely not one of them. Then again, I would have probably thought of different things when I was younger had I known I would be marrying Spark.  
"Hm." Was Spark's contemplative reply to my statement. He just shrugged before turning to look out over the sea again.  
"Land Ho!" He called, leaning forward over the wheel, to point at the rising landmass that had just emerged into our vision. I couldn't help but chuckle at the sudden use of the outdated term, made especially humorous when it was yelled in Spark's excited tone.   
Spark guided our vessel into the dock on the island, and told me to keep the boat close while he went to moor it. Having no clue what that meant, I just reasoned that I should keep the boat close to the dock.  
When I took the wheel, Spark turned and trotted back through the door, his dress shoes clapping against the wood as he went.   
I held the wheel of the boat toward the dock as I waited for Spark to either call for me, or come back. I wasn't exactly sure which one he was planning on doing.  
"We're good babe!" Was my answer, and so I turned off the engine of the boat before going out the same door that Spake had gone through only moments ago. Outside, Spark was on the edge of the dock, standing next to a rope that looped under a peg on the boat, effectively keeping it tied in.  
Spark helped me again, though it was out of the boat this time. I stepped up onto the dock, and stood beside him before planting a kiss on his cheek.  
"You're a great Captain." I complemented, and my husband shot me a look of disbelief.  
"You doubted my ability as a captain?"  
"No, of course not."  
"Well, good." Spark started, before putting his hands on his hips and puffing out his chest. "I am Long Spark Silver, greatest pirate captain on all of the seven seas." He declared. In that moment, I wanted to throw myself into the ocean, and I wanted to throw Spark in. For the sake of our clothes, our only clothes, I repressed the urge.  
"Well, Captain, lead the way." I said, gesturing forward as I slipped an arm around his waist.  
"Right oh." Spark said before we started off. I could only imagine the fun that awaited me when we arrived.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I know that I haven't taken time to update in awhile, and I'm very sorry for that. However, I have actually come up with a writing schedule so that I can juggle my three projects (this, along with 2 original works). So, this will be updated on Tuesday and Thursday.


	17. Desire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to smut, the chapter. I hope you enjoy.

When we got into the house, the one that we had one the privilege to stay in previously, Spark suggested that we make use of the shower upstairs, as he was feeling tired after walking around in a suit for the entirety of the day.

I'm not going to lie, I was slightly disappointed that Spark didn't undress me the moment we walked into the house, but I guessed that this would have to do. So, as we climbed the staircase to the second floor bedroom, the one where we had taken turns showering on the first day of our relationship. By the time we made it to the bathroom adjacent to the bedroom, we were both completely bare. 

I stood behind Spark as he turned the shower on, holding two towels that I had grabbed from the closet on the way in. I intended to set them on the floor next to the shower, but at the moment I was preoccupied with marveling at the sculpted glory of my husband.

My husband. Mine. That was going to take awhile to get used to thinking, that Spark had just made the ultimate commitment to me. Me, of all people. 

When Spark turned, his smile snapped me out of his trancelike state, the happy light in his eyes drawing me back into this moment, with him. 

"Water's good." Spark announced after holding his hand under the faucet for a moment before pulling the curtain back, holding it so I could step into the water. I stepped in, and moved back so that Spark could come in behind me. 

Once he was under the near-scalding water with me, inches away at the farthest, I leant up to kiss him. Spark was all too kind to return my action, his arms slipping around my waist as our lips danced in a fiery passion that they had shared many times before.

My hands reached up to tangle in Spark's hair, which was currently being assaulted by the water, causing the usual wild shocks of his hair to lie flat against his scalp. Amusingly, this actually made it easier for me to tangle my fingers in. I held on as though Spark was my last link to consciousness. With the way I was being shot into the clouds due to the joy of the day combining with the desire burning within me, I wouldn't have been surprised if I had lost consciousness then.

But I didn't, because there was something I needed to do before this day could be perfect. I needed to be Spark's, rather, I needed us to be one. 

So, with this intention clear in my mind, my hands drifted their way down Spark's lithe frame, pausing to trace the outline of his hips. I lingered there for a moment, my fingers running up and down the bone in an effort to tease Spark, before I took my efforts one step further.

My right hand moved to his inner thigh, while my left lingered on his hip. I could feel Spark's smirk against our kiss as he took note of my actions, but he did no protest. From the way I could feel his length growing between our bodies, which were pressed together, I don't think he had anything to complain about. 

My hand on his thigh would drift up, then back down, before making its ascent back toward the object of my desire once more. I would hesitate just below the base of his length before beginning my descent, ensuring that my touch lingered there for just long enough of a moment to send Spark shivering with anticipation despite the water sending up steam around us.

Then, my fingers made contact with his length, which caused him to let out an audible sigh of relief at even the slightest brush of my fingers against his base. I noted, to some amusement, that Spark had neglected my own arousal, perhaps in an attempt to return my teasing. 

Once I had made the first touch, there was no more teasing. My fingers found their familiar grip on Spark's length, moving slowly to ensure that he was certain of my intention now. At the first full stroke, Spark suddenly moved back. He then put one arm around my shoulder, the other wrapping around my back as he drew me into place a forceful kiss on my neck. The sensation of his lips on the skin there caused me to inhale sharply.

With this gesture, I couldn't help but smile as I continued to slowly stroke Spark's length, coaxing him toward the edge of ecstasy. It seemed to take Spark a moment that my own arousal had gone unattended to, but when he did notice, I had to say I was surprised at the ferocity with which he sought to satiate it. 

While, for a good amount of time, we had foregone foreplay in favor of getting straight to the sex, I had to say that, when Spark wanted to, he could take me to a heavenly place.

He pushed me back against the wall, forcefully enough that I knew what it was he wanted me to do. I removed my hand from his length, allowing my husband to do as he pleased, knowing that it could only lead to unparalleled pleasure for me.

Spark skipped the teasing entirely, along with the use of his gentle touch. Instead, he dropped to his knees, eye level with my length. He seized my hips in both hands before running his tongue along the underside of my length. With how slow he did it, I couldn't help as a small moan escaped my lips, my knees threatening to buckle even at this slight prodding from my husband.

I heard Spark snicker at this reaction, but he did not stop to acknowledge it. Instead, I felt his lips form a seal around my length before he moved his head down, taking nearly the entirety of me into his mouth with one fell movement. Again, I inhaled sharply, my hands searching for something to grip on the shower wall. Finding nothing, I instead opted to grip Spark's head gently in an effort simply to keep myself from buckling as my quavering knees struggled to hold me up as Spark began to move up and down my length with a hurried rhythm. 

At one point, I distinctly recall letting out something that almost sounded like a whimper, which caused Spark to laugh, though it only came through as a vibration in his mouth, which was still tight around my length. With that, I couldn't hold myself up any longer. I had to throw my hands back to catch myself as Spark removed his mouth from my length, catching me on my way down.

Then, without warning, he lifted me up off of the ground with ease. Knowing instantly what was coming next, I put my legs on either side of Spark's body. He lowered me down and, thanks to the water that had been flowing between the two of us for this entire time, he filled me without issue. 

Spark hissed from pleasure, while I let out another pseudo-whine. 

"You're so adorable." Spark whispered as he pressed forward, ensuring that he buried the entirety of his length within my depths before he withdrew, replacing the void he had left within as quickly as he had created it. 

I felt my legs twitch when Spark returned his length to its sheath, and I saw stars dancing in front of my eyes, though that may have just been Spark's own aging from the pleasure that was, no doubt, coursing through him.

Spark's movement was like a metronome, unfaltering, constant with its rhythm. Each thrust of his hips elicited a further whimper or moan from me, and I could see that he was fighting to contain himself. He had been moving in such a manner to ensure that he didn't move too quickly. Dissatisfied, I wanted to show him that I wanted him not just to take me as his husband, but to go all out. 

I tilted Spark's chin up, and crashed our lips together, causing him to stop briefly. I moved my lips over his, pressing forward in an attempt to display the passion racing through my body like wildfire. With that, Spark seemed to get the message.

When our kiss was broken, there was no more restraint. I had to wrap my arms around his neck in order to keep myself from falling as he began to, for the lack of a better word, fuck me like his life depended on it. As soon as he had drawn his length from my body it seemed to instantly be replaced, each movement brushing against that exquisite place, deep within.

"Alex." I heard Spark whisper between breaths, and I returned his name in kind. We both knew what was coming. I leant my head into the crook of Spark's neck, and simply rode out the wave of pleasure building up inside of me. Now, I was breathing quickly, like a runner who had just come off of a sprint. 

And then that wave hit me like a tsunami. I cried out loudly, struggling to collect air as I felt my entire body tense on Spark's length, causing him to likewise ascend into ecstasy. When I started to come down, I noted that Spark had actually carried me out of the shower, and had set me on the floor. 

"Are you alright?" He asked, and I nodded dreamily, a lazy smile slowly spreading across my features.

"Couldn't be better." I returned, and then leant up to kiss Spark gently. He was all too happy to return this simple gesture before wrapping me in a towel and carrying me to the bedroom.

There's a lot I could say about that night, how I kept seeing visions of a perfect future flashing before me, but I'll just say this. That night, the first night that I looked at Spark before falling asleep and knew he was my husband, it was the best of my life.


	18. End

My eyes drifted opened and closed, the harsh light that shone directly above my head not allowing for them to shut for too long, not long enough for me to sleep, anyway. Damn light, the thought darted through my mind, before realizing that the woman across from me was experiencing a much worse inconvenience than a simple light in her eyes.

"Spark," Candela began, looking up from her girlfriend to where my husband sat with my head on his lap. "Would you mind getting her a wet cloth? She's really hot." Wearily, Spark gently slid his hand under my head before guiding it down onto the chair as he stood. 

"Ehhh...." My hand hit the chair where Spark had been sitting only moments ago, and he turned from where he had taken a step away to look back at me. Candela, similarly, had torn her gaze away from Blanche once more to look at me. 

"How are you able to fall asleep right now?" She questioned, her tight-wound tone being betrayed by the hint of a smile that still lingered on her bronzed features. "He's always sleepy." Spark spoke for me as he walked over to the small closet in the room, retrieving a towel before stepping into the bathroom. 

My world shifted as my body seemingly righted itself, the will of my own mind not being entirely present to order the movement. "I'm not used to being up for this long." Candela smirked, and Blanche made a sort of pained laugh from where she lay. 

"Well, none of us are, you dweeb." Candela teased as I found my way to my feet. My hands slid into my pockets as my feet managed to guide my weary body to the edge of the bed. 

The railing of the bed, a sort of strange plastic that was too wide to really grip, was cold under my fingers despite the fact that the room was hot enough that Spark had removed both of our sweatshirts earlier in the night. This was, of course, when my brain had decided it was time to start falling asleep. 

"Hey, woah, you don't need to be up." Spark's voice tore my gaze away from where Blanche lay to where he stood just a few feet away, holding a towel that he passed off to Candela. The woman receiving the towel cocked a brow at my husband. "He doesn't need to be babied right now Sparky, he's not the one having a baby." 

"I know, I know." Spark stepped to my side and put his arm around my waist. "Just, y'know, worried about him." My eyes rolled in their sockets as I leant into Spark's side, eyes closing. "Candela's right, you should be worrying more about Blanche than about me." Blanche's calm, collected tone answered almost instantly, though her usual inflection now held an edge of tension.

"You all realize I'm right here, correct?" Blanche spoke as she held the cloth that Spark had just delivered to her head. All of our eyes darted to Blanche then, who eyes us all with amusement dancing in her eyes. "Could someone please let Lapission in?" She muttered, and Candela glanced to Spark and I. In response, we both looked between each other. 

"We aren't supposed to let Pokémon into the room, remember?" Spark asked, and suddenly, Blanche's usual demeanor crumbled like shattered crystal. "I don't care." Her tone wasn't angry, more tangible was the exhaustion that no doubt plagued her at this point. "Please, just let her in." Spark went to head for the door, but was stopped when I cut him off, heading for the door myself.

When the door was opened, Blanche's companion darted in quickly, though not without being followed by Ember and Pulse. Zahra came in as well, but stopped at my feet instead of proceeding onward to the others as the rest of the Pokémon did. Before anyone could say anything about the Pokémon coming into the room, I shut the door before making my way back over to Blanche, who now had her arms wrapped around her lifelong companion.

Spark and Candela had picked up their companions, and now held them close, an action which I mimicked with Zahra. As she left the floor, Zahra protested, but nudged the pokeball on my waist as she came up. "No, Alo can't come out, not now." Zahra huffed and settled into my arms as we all pulled up chairs around Blanche.

For the next two hours, Spark did his best to lessen the tension that had settled early in the night after the doctors had assured us they would be in and out to check on Blanche. Spark, being Spark, told jokes, did some sort of goofy comedy routine with Pulse as his sidekick. This managed to ward off my sleep as I admired my husband's persistence, but by the way that Blanche only gripped her Vaporeon closer, it didn't seem to be doing anything to distract her from the pain.

When everything came to fruition, it happened pretty damn quickly, at least, compared to what we had all prepared for. The nurse came in, left, and came back with the Doctors. Bing, bang, boom. The only thing that I remembered clearly from that time was sitting outside of the small circle that Spark and Candela had made around Blanche, sticking close to their sister as she went through what was possibly one of the greatest possible experiences of a human's life. 

Zahra sat in my lap, and the only sound in my ears was that of my own heartbeat, thumping steadily away in my chest, though rapidly. My head swam with worry, hundreds of questions running through me all at once. What if I wasn't a good parent? What if I did something wrong? What if, what if, what if? 

As these questions continued to scream through my head like a train with no brakes, it suddenly slammed into a brick wall and came to a stop when a cry pierced the room. My eyes widened as my eyes darted up to look at the scene before me, as Blanche was handed a squirming child that was swiftly removed so that it could be cleaned. 

My legs shook as I came to my feet from where I had been sitting, and all I could see ahead of me was the child the doctor's carried as I made my way toward the small room they had taken it into. Spark and Candela lingered next to Blanche, whispering assurances and words of comfort, but my attention was focused solely on that child. 

When the nurse came out of the room holding a baby blue blanket, she nearly ran into me. I stepped back quickly to avoid the hit, and the woman looked up at me, a smile slowly coming to her features. "You must be his Dad." She asserted, and I swallowed the knot in my thrust before nodding. 

"Here, why don't you take him to his mom then?" The woman held the bundle out ever so slightly, and I reached forward, my arms instinctively finding their way into the proper place before drawing the bundle close to my chest.

Then, my eyes fell on my son's face for the first time. His pale blue eyes were open, and were locked right on me, a small tuft of black hair smoothed down by the small cap that had been put on his head, just barely poking out. If it wasn't for the slight tint of his skin, I might have thought I was looking at a reflection of one of my old baby pictures. For a moment, my feet stayed rooted to the spot, before I made my way over to Blanche.

I stood at the edge of the bed, and, reluctantly, held my son out to Blanche, who took him in her arms and held him close to her chest, a weary smile rising to her face. "He's so cute." She whispered, gazing down at my-our- son, as she did. 

"He looks just like Alex." Spark confirmed and Candela smirked over at him. "Could you not compare the kid to Alex right out of the gate? We might want him to not get tattoos and end up with a wacko." Candela glanced down at Blanche, who was continuing to smile as she held our child. 

"I'm sorry." A foreign voice cut into our circle, and I turned to see that the nurse that had handed me my son moments ago was standing there, smiling as she did so, her hands folded in front of her. "Uh, did you decide on a name for the child?" She addressed me directly. My own eyes darted to Blanche, who just smiled at my nervous expression. She nodded, indicating for me to tell her the name we had decided on.

"Cash," I said as I turned back to the woman. "His name is Cash."

*********  
The house was empty on that cold winter morning, the air outside was full of a mist that had settled over the scenery outside only a few hours ago, so thick that the outside world could barely be seen. I usually would have a cup of coffee in the morning, but had opted for a bowl of my favorite cereal instead.

"Crunchatize me, Captain." I repeated the old slogan for the cereal as I drew a spoonful into my mouth, sitting down on the couch that was pointed directly toward the front window as I did so. I whistled, and there were two successive dips in the couch. I held my bowl out, not wanting what remained there, and allowed my Pokémon to take the half bowl or so that I had failed to finish. 

"Thanks, guys." Once the bowl had been finished, I stood and walked over to the sink, placing the bowl there before turning to find that a figure stood at the top of the small set of stairs that led down into the living room. I nearly jumped back into the sink, but managed to keep myself on the floor when I realized who was standing there.

"Cash, baby, you can't sneak up on me like that." My son came down the stairs, out of the dark hallway, and into the light. His Eevee followed close on his heels, hopping down the stairs directly behind him. "Sorry Papa, where's Dad?" My son asked, stirring on his feet. I stepped over and smiled, putting my hands on his shoulders.

"Dad left last night with Auntie Candela and Mom, remember?" Cash cocked his head to the side for a moment as though attempting to remember, before nodding slowly. "Yeah..." he murmured, "yeah, I remember." With a smile, I leant down and picked my son up. "It's too early for you to be up." I said, only now taking note of the time, the clock above the stove displaying that it was only just past six in the morning. 

"Zahra woke me up when she came downstairs." Cash muttered into my shoulder as he wrapped his arms loosely around my neck. I held him close as I headed back to the couch, sitting down and holding my son on my lap.

"I'm sorry." I brushed a stray strand of hair out of his face as I spoke, smiling at the way that my son was only just lingering on the edge of sleep. "Do you want me to tell you a story, to help you get back to sleep?" Cash nodded in response, and I didn't even have to ask about which one he wanted to hear.

"I sat in the bus stop, my bag resting on the bench next to me..."

The End.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To everyone who read this story, I am eternally grateful for your support. For those who wanted something more, I am so sorry that I was unable to deliver. I didn't even think I would manage to get this chapter up, but I wanted to give everyone who desired it some closure. I truly loved writing this story, and I hope everyone who has read enjoyed it.


End file.
